WFH benefits have largely been seen as a benefit for employees rather than their employers. Think about it. The work flexibility and convenience it brings have many professionals preferring the WFH set-up. Why else would many modern organisations be offering remote work as the new signing bonus?
However, there are still many employers who have yet to appreciate the full benefits of hiring and maintaining distributed teams. And of course, we can’t blame them. For centuries, we’ve associated the nature of work as we know it with toiling away in a physical workplace. The alternative still remains unthinkable, if not frightening for quite a few.
But for many businesses who’ve made the switch, the benefits are undeniable. Like it or not, remote work is here to stay, not least because it’s actually increased productivity among employees.
Still wondering if your company should take the (remote) plunge? We’ve listed down three important benefits that might help you decide.
Increased Productivity
It might be surprising to learn that employees actually perform better when they work from home. I mean, how is this even possible?
First, there’s the flexibility. The traditional work office setup is quite strict with maintaining a 9-5 schedule. Under this system, a good worker comes in early and leaves late, sometimes regardless of their actual performance.
But now, things are quite different. With remote work, many organisations allow their employees to work from anywhere. Some even allow flexible schedules, so long as the work gets done on time.
Has this resulted in complacency? No.
On the contrary, the majority of these companies reported a productivity increase, reduced turnover, and lower operational costs. You can bet that allowing employees to work at their own pace (with managers continuing to provide feedback) had a lot to do with that.
Reduced Costs
Prior to the pandemic, how much did you spend on the office lease, company utilities, and business travel reimbursements? How about now? Chances are, your operating costs today are relatively lower if you and your team work remotely, right?
When you’re running a business, every penny counts. Think about what you can do with all those savings! You could reinvest it into your business in a lot of ways: splurge on R&D to improve or expand existing products and services, develop marketing and advertising campaigns to boost your brand image and social media presence, and so on.
Besides, the remote set-up can give you a leg-up on preparing for the digital future. With the increasing demand for e-commerce, SME’s need a lean and flexible team with rock stars from all over the world to compete with bigger businesses.
Remote working allows you to do exactly that, and how.
Sustainability
So let’s recap. Working from home leads to heightened productivity, hefty savings, and yes, a smaller carbon footprint.
According to a study by a Harvard professor, WFH contributed to less crowded business districts and huge cities since workers don’t need to move there for good-paying jobs anymore. This means fewer cars on the roads, less carbon dioxide emissions, and reduced overall waste.
Furthermore, the increased purchasing power of remote workers living in more rural areas can pump prime economic development there. This, of course, is good news for any business that would like to expand their customer base outside of big cities.
Remote Staff has been assisting AU SMEs and entrepreneurs like you grow and expand their businesses with skilled remote workers from the Philippines since 2007. Whether you’ve just heard about remote work yesterday or have already been managing a remote workforce for a while, we’ve got you covered.
Call us today or schedule a call back and let’s get started.
Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home.
