How Companies Benefit When Employees Work Remotely HBS Working Knowledge
Thursday, November 26th, 2020Content
In the end, this technology investment helped organizations join the modern business world and put them on more equal footing. Organizations scrambled to put the right tools in place to enable remote work when the pandemic began. Many companies were using outdated tools, forcing them to upgrade their systems. At the time, some businesses were already experimenting with telework and were better able to meet this challenge. But even they had difficulty scaling from a handful of employees with remote work privileges to an entire workforce. Remote work means employees can work from anywhere — not just their home.
- The absence of time wasted in commuting and travel is an obvious benefit, but they also found they were more focused when working without all the typical office distractions.
- Typical personalization options include setting up a standing desk, working in complete silence, or playing music while you work.
- WFH is here to stay and provides new levels of work-life balance and flexibility for more people.
- This gives them a better chance of finding the best possible candidates for the job, thus improving the workforce quality.
Whilst this is great from a social point of view it can be difficult to work in this environment. Working remotely, particularly from home, can allow for creative thinking and greater productivity. Whether there’s a great view from the window or a brick wall – silence is golden. You’ve got travel costs, parking, lunch, coffee and snacks, birthday cakes, colleague presents, clothes for work… the list is endless.
The Realities of Remote Work
I expect that various forms of hybrid environments—with some employees in the office and others operating remotely—will become the new norm. After a period of experimentation, companies will decide what format works best for their cultures and establish clear ground rules for their organizations. At an office, you can add some pizzazz to your cubicle with plants and family pictures and knick knacks—to a point. But in a home office, you can make the space truly your own and ensure it sparks joy for your workday. Choose your favorite music and set the volume to “nightclub” if that helps motivate you. Work in your favorite oversized chair with your legs over the arm.
- Hires don’t have to be local and can be anywhere in the world, depending on time zones.
- While digital technology has made workers more efficient and accessible than ever before, many companies have been slow to let employees work from home regularly, let alone from anywhere at any time.
- When my kids were younger, WFH meant I could make school events without much scheduling fuss, or easily pick up a sick kid from school with just a quick message to my boss.
- Not to mention the money you’ll save on coffee, lunches bought, and after-work drinks.
A longer commute can also reduce job satisfaction and worsen your mental health. Before the pandemic, remote work wasn’t an option for her; now her company is fully WFH and only maintains office space for monthly meetings. Working remotely can give employees the time and environment needed to make healthy choices.
Remote work equals an increase in productivity
Remote teams enable businesses to rent smaller office spaces — or even move to a remote, cloud-based operation completely. This saves organizations money on rent, utilities and other office supplies. Remote workers reported stable or increased productivity while working remotely compared to in an office, according to a Great Place to Work report. During 2020, the steepest productivity improvements came in April and May, during the height of the pandemic.
Research from PayScale that controlled for job title and location found employees who work remotely make 1.9% more than their equivalent office workers. Overall remote workers earn 23.7% more than non-remote employees when excluding job title and other compensable factors. They benefit from decreased costs and lower environmental impacts to higher productivity and employee retention. Optional office spaces can help the remote-first model in diverse ways. We hold targeted initiatives in them to add value for our talent, which further support our talent engagement, benefits, team building, affinity groups and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). As we work out of smaller office spaces for reduced utility and other service costs, this also cuts back on usual office overhead charges.
Work from home & remote work
For many employees — and employers — flexibility is a new part of the compensation package and is a powerful tool in terms of employee engagement, retention, and recruiting. Remote work options support the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce, are a key element of our commitment to equity and inclusion, and are an integral component for innovation. This flexibility offers numerous benefits for employees and the University, ultimately enabling us to better serve our mission. Approximately 5 million workers moved between 2020 and 2022 because remote work made it possible. No longer connected with a physical office, many fully remote employees could keep their jobs and move closer to family, to a dream location, or to an area with a lower cost of living.
Indeed, the benefits of working from home impact so many things on a global scale that it’s sure to become the best path forward. One of the fastest, cheapest ways for employers and employees to reduce their carbon footprint and affect climate https://remotemode.net/blog/how-remote-work-can-benefit-employees-and-companies/ change is by reducing commuter travel. As more and more companies allow employees to continue working remotely post-pandemic—like Twitter, Square, Shopify, and Facebook, to name just a few—they’ll also see significant long-term cost savings.
Productivity
Many companies like Target are shedding expensive downtown office space by shifting employees to the new concept of “hoteling,” in which employees do not have permanent offices and book an available open office. It also gives workers the flexibility to get to doctor’s and other healthcare appointments when needed. Having no set job location means that, pre-pandemic, fully remote workers could also travel and live as digital nomads while having a meaningful career. Though a full nomad lifestyle is currently on hold, as borders begin to open up, it’s still a definite perk. Allowing remote work can help businesses retain employees and prevent absenteeism. When remote workers don’t feel micromanaged and believe their employer trusts them, they are more likely to develop positive feelings toward organization leadership.
Remote workers have access to more job opportunities than office workers bound by geographic location. If you like living rural or in a small town, you no longer have to move to a city to get access to well-paid jobs. Remote work provides clear cost savings for both employers and employees. Employers have dramatically reduced the cost of business travel, while employees avoid commuting costs.
A Customizable Office
Today’s remote workers are building a professional reputation as the employees of the future. By now you’ve seen that remote work offers increased flexibility and autonomy for employees, as well as increased worker productivity and cost savings for employers. But, before venturing into the world of remote work, businesses must take a look at their current office culture, team sizes, and business goals. While digital technology has made workers more efficient and accessible than ever before, many companies have been slow to let employees work from home regularly, let alone from anywhere at any time. The study’s findings can help firms understand the effects of various flex-work options, and support certain types of employees as they negotiate with employers. Choudhury says the results have important implications for workers, who could potentially move to lower-cost areas, reduce commuting costs, and live closer to family and friends.
- There are multiple benefits for allowing employees to work remotely when it comes to employee retention.
- By giving your employees the right amount of freedom and the tools to effectively work remotely, you can increase employee engagement and strengthen your workplace.
- I keep fruit and a glass of water nearby to remind me to pay attention to nutrition.
- A frequent complaint in today’s world is the difficulty of striking a good work-life balance.
- Without the right technology, an employee had to go to the office to get their work done.
Managers strive to find the line between allowing freedom for their employees while encouraging attendance and inter-office relationships. The concept of being able to work anywhere at any time is more than just a turn-of-the-century workplace trend. It is in fact the future state of work and with technology becoming more advanced, work can be just as effective even though teams are no longer physically in the same room. With no gaps in work and coordinated communication, companies can boost their productivity and output in ways that are simply no possible just during office hours at the location where your team is based. Building company culture is a very difficult thing to do, and if employees come and go, it destabilizes the teams.
Communication
It’ll avoid health woes like carpal tunnel syndrome and eyestrain. Yes, my book title says “Pajama Jobs.” But as much as I love the comfort of pj’s, I really recommend taking the time to dress for work as you might on a casual Friday in the office. I know that when I dress the part, I bring more energy to my work.