If you scroll through your LinkedIn feed for a couple of minutes, you’ll likely come across posts of people praising remote work. From software developers to designers, experts in various industries believe that remote work has changed their life for the better.
However, it’s overlooked that the employees aren’t the only ones that benefit from remote work. The amount of remote jobs that you can find has grown three times in the past couple of years.
While the companies were obliged to transform to a remote model during the Covid-19 pandemic, they are now hiring remotely by choice.
The reasons behind this increase are many, and we’re going to dive deep into the various advantages of a remote workforce that employers have. Hopefully, these benefits will help you make a shift toward hiring remotely.
1. Increased Productivity
In some companies, productivity is simply the amount of time spent in the office.
You go to your work, sit at your desk, and while on some days there are tasks that can be completed in half an hour, you’ll still have to wait until the end of the work day.
This system is working against productive people, and there are much better alternatives for it.
On the other hand, people ignorantly point out that people working from their homes aren’t effective and that it’s impossible to track their performance. This is just a cope made up by people who have to wake up every morning and commute to their work (yikes).
Talented employees will always try to tackle their tasks in a way that’s time-efficient and gives the best results.
For example, if your link builders are constantly hitting their monthly KPIs, who cares how long much time it took them? The freedom that remote workers have is one of the greatest benefits of this system.
Various studies have shown that employees enjoy working from home and that they are more productive. There are numerous reasons why this might be the case.
Usually, people have to wake up early to go to their job, yet remote work often offers flexible work hours, which allows employees to get better sleep. Obviously, more sleep equals increased productivity.
Sources of stress in remote work
Commuting to work and the parking anxiety that comes with it are major sources of stress, and people working in the office have to deal with them every morning before their work. This reduces the time your employees can use to engage in their hobbies, self-care, relationships, and work.
Some people naturally love to engage in chit-chat with their co-workers. This isn’t a sin, but it is something that can make them procrastinate on their tasks and be less productive. Unless they have intrusive household members, they probably won’t have problems that will prevent them from doing their work.
However, if you’re untrusty about whether your employees are completing their tasks or if it’s simply not trackable by KPIs, you can look out for workspace tools that will help you track their performance. You can evaluate them by taking their logged work hours, daily reports or meetings.
2. Fewer Expenses
The expenses that a company has will often vary depending on the industry.
While there are many industry-specific expenses that you can probably reduce by implementing remote work, I’ll focus on some of the most obvious.
When you have a company with hundreds of employees, you’ll probably need a vast office space. Renting a building or a floor is a significant expense that is completely redundant.
On top of that, you won’t have to spend money on utilities or give additional money to your workers for their traveling fees. Some companies also have a cafeteria or a kitchen, which is also an ongoing expenditure.
Every employee needs a workstation which is usually a mid to high-end computer, and this can be quite costly as well. If you’re leading a tech company, these numbers be even higher. Software developers and 3D artists require computers with powerful specifications.
If you switch to remote work, you simply won’t have to spend money on all of the things mentioned. Almost anyone can create a home office, and if this isn’t possible, they can go to their local library or a café.
You won’t have to spend money on purchasing workstations for your employees since they will probably have their own.
However, I suggest having a one-time budget for every new employee to purchase a specific piece of equipment if needed. This can be a desk or a computer part, and this is more affordable than purchasing a workstation for your office.
3. Better Employment Opportunities
You’ll be able to hire from a larger pool of employees if you aren’t limited to your city or region.
There’s a plethora of ways in which you can employ. Commonly, there are platforms for freelancers, such as Fiverr and Upwork, or you can try out your look on other job posting websites.
A larger selection of people will likely lead to a higher number of experts available for hire. Many companies have decided to employ workers from third-world countries because they usually have lower salary expectations, yet they are just as proficient in their work.
The only aspects of hiring globally that you need to consider are time zones and local laws.
4. Employee Retention
An enjoyable and flexible job position will certainly lead to increased employee satisfaction and retention. It’s obvious that you’ll likely continue working at a specific position if you are satisfied with the benefits, salary, and freedom that it offers.
However, there are specific situations in which remote work is significantly better than office work. People are often required to move to other cities or even countries, it’s impossible to continue working at your office job, unless you have an office there as well, if this situation happens.
Yet remote employees can continue working even if they switch continents.
Remote work can be considered more inclusive and accessible than traditional arrangements. For example, people with disabilities have a much harder time traveling to work and getting to their offices.
While you’ll allow pregnancy leaves, pregnant women and mothers can work much longer and more effectively from home.
Overall, even if your workers don’t fall into these categories, remote work promotes retention simply because it’s much more enjoyable and healthier. You can expect top talents from your company to stick longer if they’re working remotely.
5. Mental Health Benefits for Employees
Remote employees often have more time at their disposal to use for spending time with family and friends. This is often what’s necessary for us to feel better and avoid burnout.
As I’ve mentioned earlier, they don’t have to deal with commute and parking anxiety, which are serious downsides of traditional work.
High levels of stress are often the reasons why people have poor productivity and look for other jobs. Even though it’s possible for people to experience just as much pressure while working remotely, it’s still much less common than in the traditional setting.
Better well-being will lead to increased satisfaction and customer retention, benefits that are quite valuable for both the company and the employees.
Are There Any Disadvantages?
I wouldn’t be objective if I didn’t mention some of the most important downsides of remote work that both employers and employees might experience.
While the pros seriously outweigh the cons, it’s worth mentioning both sides of this trend.
Earlier in the article, I mentioned how you could save a lot of money on equipment and utilities. While this is true on paper, there are some potential risks that come with using personal computers for work.
Software developers and other tech-savvy people often take measures to protect themselves on the internet, but not all employees are trained in understanding and dealing with cybersecurity problems.
People can also get a virus while they work from the office, but there are often security measures and anti-virus software installed at the company level.
Working from home is great, and working at the beach or a coffee shop is cool as well, but if you’re working from such a place, there’s a high likelihood that you’re using public Wi-Fi. Your employees can unknowingly reveal confidential information if someone with malicious intent is spoofing the Wi-Fi.
Other disadvantages can come from the lack of socialization and human contact. While the time that’s saved on working from home can be used to make up for lack of human interaction, many employees simply don’t realize their need for socializing with their colleagues.
This is why it’s important to organize team-building activities and offer your employees a subscription to well-being software.
Remote Workforce Is Beneficial for Modern Companies
Remote work is slowly taking over the world, and it’s being implemented wherever possible. While there are some obvious disadvantages that come with it, it’s still one of the best ways to set your company up for success.
The advantages that are mentioned in this article are enough to motivate you to at least consider implementing a hybrid or remote system for your company.
Hiring remote workers can sometimes be a struggle, and some managers find this process daunting.
Veljko Petrović
Veljko is not only a brilliant content writer and an SEO specialist but also the youngest member of our team. He experienced the ups and downs of the blockchain industry while working as a crypto marketing specialist for [REDACTED]. While writing is both his job and his passion, he also enjoys reading and playing video games.
