If you’re in any upper management position you’ve seen the changes slowly trickling in from in house to remote work. Did you know almost any industry can use remote workers at all different levels? And there are some great reasons to consider it for your company.
Increased Employee Retention
Losing staff is a costly part of business. Did you know that more than 25% of employees are considered to be in the high risk retention category? Think about it-the hiring process takes time, and training takes time, energy and money so keeping your employees happy is an important part of running a successful business. Quality of work and work environment both play a large role in employee retention so while allowing for some flexibility in working conditions may seem counterproductive, it’s actually not. When you’re hit with a massive snow storm, or traffic is backed up for miles, think about how happy your employees will be to be able to work from their home office without dealing with those inconveniences. The remote work industry is only continuing to grow and by utilizing time tracking tools, project management software, and video conferencing it’s simple to make the transition a smooth one for both you and your employees.
Decreased Expenses
This may seem like an obvious one, but less bodies in your office is less expenses out of your pocket in a variety of ways. If you allow many employees to work remotely, you may be able to decrease the size of your office space thus decreasing your rent or financing payments (plus taxes!), utility cost, and the cost of office supplies. Smaller office space also means less furniture and supplies technology too! If you’re working with remote employees and are offering benefits, a 401k and other additions, salaries may stay a consistent cost, but if you’re working with contractors that’s another huge savings. Contractors handle their own taxes, do not receive benefits like health and dental, a 401k and other items thus making a massive positive impact on your bottom line.
Increased Productivity
Companies that have implemented remote working employees have seen massive increases in productivity. Think about this: your employees get up early, get ready and head out the door to battle traffic/weather/etc during their commute. You may have some individuals commuting 20 minutes and others 2 hours. By the time they arrive at the office, many may already be burnt out and it’s only the beginning of the work day. These outside factors make a massive impact on employee productivity so taking those out of the equation can make a big difference. Working in a quiet space from home, saves your employees time, energy and frustrations like those mentioned above. Plus, it gets them more home time, especially for those with long commutes, and saves them money too since they can eat lunch at home and don’t need to fuel their vehicle for work or pay for public transit. Remember, happy employees perform their tasks better and stay working for you longer.
Increased Engagement
There is nothing worse than working in an environment full of people who are performing tasks like robots on a production line. Allowing for remote work can get the creative juices flowing, increase happiness and increase the engagement your employees have within the company. When you hold a staff meeting, it would be amazing to have employees that are actively engaged and contributing vs. answering questions because they have to or worse-sitting quietly with no input while you talk. Remote work is a great way to improve the engagement levels of your employees but giving them flexibility.
The Work Gets Done
It’s common for employers to worry that remote workers won’t get their tasks done if they have freedom and flexibility. Sure, it’s no secret working from home requires motivation and self control to stay on task, on budget and on schedule but if you can’t trust your employees to do their jobs from home, can you really trust them in-house? Having to hover over the shoulder of your employees to ensure they are working efficiently creates a hostile and negative work environment for both managers and employees. With the right tools in place to track time, stay in contact, and for project management it is easy to stay on top of project progress to ensure that everyone is working together and completing what needs to happen to be successful.
The remote work industry has grown substantially over the last 5 years and it will continue to grow as the economy changes. Sure, not every employee is a good fit for working from home, but many can be and there are many positive reasons to consider giving remote work a try within your company. Meadows Resources can help make the transition from in house to remote work a smooth one. Contact us to learn more today!
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