Whether it’s due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, forward-thinking leadership in modern companies, or the millennial workforce’s ever-increasing wanderlust, it is becoming increasingly clear that remote work is taking center stage.
In fact, recent research suggests that the amount of people who work remotely at least once per week has grown by 400% since 2010. What’s more, 42% of employees with a remote work option plan to work remotely more often in the next five years.
Today, nearly everything can be done effectively over the internet with the help of modern digital tools and tech, so it’s a small wonder that remote work is rising at such a rapid rate. And due to the COVID-19 pandemic, companies big and small have been forced to embrace remote work all of a sudden, so you can even take inspiration from some of the largest remote working companies on the planet on how to implement a company-wide remote work environment.
Now, to illustrate how remote work can a mutually beneficial arrangement for both employees and employers, take a look at just some of the many great benefits of working remotely:
Increased Productivity
According to a survey, 77% of remote employees say they’re more productive when working away from the office, and 52% are less likely to take time off.
In particular, working from a location of your choice, such as your home or your favorite café, typically results in lower stress levels, fewer distractions, no office politics, a more comfortable work environment, and more productive (to the point) video meetings.
Put simply, working in your personalized work environment that suits your precise needs can go a long way in boosting productivity and creativity levels. For the employer, more productive employees mean more work gets done in less amount of time. This, coupled with the fact that such employees are less likely to take leaves, makes remote work a clear win-win.
Better Work-Life Balance
Employees who work remotely report consistently higher levels of job satisfaction and company loyalty than on-site workers. So, it’s not just employers who get more and higher quality work done from their remote teams, but employees are also more motivated and content working remotely.
As a remote worker, you can spend more time with your family and loved ones. You can take frequent breaks to pursue your hobbies, or schedule your workday as you like — so long as you complete the tasks on time and be there when your team needs you.
In fact, 74% of employees say that a remote work option would make them less likely to leave their company. So, by facilitating a better work-life balance which results in increased employee retention, remote work again proves to be a win-win for employers and employees.
Remote work means no daily commute. The time saved on commuting and being stuck in traffic can be used in other essential activities such as learning new skills, picking up the kids from school, attending a fitness class, or simply getting some extra sleep to wake up fresh and more productive.
Furthermore, remote work allows both the employees and employers to save money on fuel, while employers also save costs on office real estate and other overhead expenses — another Time and Cost Savingswin-win.
Access to the Best Talent
As an employer, if you embrace remote work, you have a shot at getting the best talent from around the world. Conducting remote tests and interviews isn’t a big deal anymore and with the right tools, you can build an amazing distributed team that oozes talent and diversity.
The same goes for remote workers. If you’ve got the talent and skillset, you have the opportunity to land a remote job that pays substantially more than any local employer ever could, all the while enjoying the freedom to work from anywhere you want.
More Eco-Friendly
Finally, remote work is propitious not just in terms of enabling a more productive work environment for employees, but on a grander scale, it is good for the environment too.
According to the 2017 State of Telecommuting in the U.S. Employee Workforce report, existing telecommuters reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of taking over 600,000 cars off the road for a year. If the remote workforce expanded to include those who could and wanted to telecommute half of the time, the emissions savings would equate to taking 10 million cars off the road.
Simply put, the lack of daily commute translates to fewer greenhouse gas emissions and decreased consumption of fossil fuels — which is truly the need of the hour.
Conclusion
The growth of the gig economy and the easy accessibility of the internet and digital tools, along with a strong impetus from the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to remote work becoming the new norm with each passing day.
With proper planning, remote work can help realize higher levels of creativity and productivity, while allowing for a better work-life balance and cost savings for everyone. Not to mention the growing appreciation of climate change serves as another basis for everyone to recognize how remote work is a mutually rewarding arrangement.
So, whether you’re an employer unsure about allowing remote work for your employees, or an employee working as a part of a distributed team in a modern startup, rest assured that the remote work revolution in this digital age is only going to take you onwards and upwards.
About The Author:
Gaurav Belani is a senior SEO and content marketing analyst at Growfusely, a content marketing agency specializing in content and data-driven SEO. He has more than seven years of experience in digital marketing. He likes sharing his knowledge in a wide range of domains ranging from marketing to technology. His work is featured in several authoritative business publications. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter at @belanigaurav.
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How remote work can be a win-win for employers and employees