As explained, this is because employees who have the option to work from home are less likely to leave their jobs in search of greener pastures. When remote work is an option, businesses can cast a wider net when recruiting new employees. Since they’re no longer limited to local candidates, they can tap into a global talent pool. Another benefit of remote work is that it can increase employee productivity.

Some of the benefits of working from home for employers and employees can include improved well-being and lower costs. With today’s technology, there’s no excuse for employers not to reap the benefits of a remote workforce. Internet connection and a good digital workplace platform means employees have access to all the apps they need to do their work. Collaboration suites (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace) messaging apps, task management tools, your intranet platform and many other digital collaboration tools are all here to improve the work of any remote worker. In the past remote working was seen as something just for freelancers or the self-employed. Since the recent Covid-19 pandemic there’s been a rapid increase in working from home and the benefits of remote working for employers have become visible.

Pool of talent

Even as remote working seemingly leaves room for slacking, many employees working from home find it difficult to break away from work at the end of the day. Unlike working in an office where the end of the workday is heralded by closing your computer and going home, remote working often leads to employees working more hours than a normal working day. As it happens, on average, remote employees in the pandemic are working 26 extra hours every month, amounting to almost one extra day every week, according to the Owl Labs survey. However, as the dangers of gathering in enclosed spaces became increasingly apparent, employees gradually understood the merits of working from the relative safety of home. Employers now understand the benefits of having their staff operating remotely as many see productivity increase or expenses fall. Using the charts below, a team can discuss the realities of remote work — what’s good, what’s bad, and what might get left unsaid.

The shift to remote work has been far from straightforward, and many companies are now grappling with the problem of how to design a model that works for everyone. Remote work enhances productivity because it naturally shifts the focus from how an employee is spending their time in an office to actual, measurable performance results. Although there are some common pitfalls for first-time how companies benefit when employees work remotely telecommuters that might decrease these benefits, you can help employees in their transition to working from home. Simply set clear boundaries and expectations for work hours, projects, and meetings that allow them to relax and feel confident in their productivity without going overboard. The best way to effectively communicate your expectations is with a work from home policy.

Improved Communication and Collaboration

The experience of a hybrid virtual team in the same time zone varies significantly from a hybrid virtual team with members in multiple time zones. Among other ills, unmanaged time-zone differences make sequencing workflows more difficult. When people work in different time zones, the default tends toward asynchronous communications (email) and a loss of real-time connectivity.

Remote employees can make their workspace as bright or plain as they wish. Remote working has all kinds of benefits including staff motivation, increased productivity, and employee retention. And remote working doesn’t just apply to staff that work from home (telecommuting). It includes freelancers, contract workers, frontline workers, international workers, etc. There is nothing quite like meeting with your customers in their place of business, especially in retail settings, to build relationships and make use of all your senses.

What to consider before embracing remote work

However, with software solutions that streamline communication and improve daily workflows, managing a distributed workforce has never been easier. There are some who believe that a remote workforce is a disparate workforce. But fortunately, this is simply not the case thanks to the array of communication tools available today.

As well as less time spent traveling, working from home reduces office gossip time, lateness, and time wasted in the coffee shop. In addition, a remote company can still have a presence with an office. One of the benefits of remote working is that employees spend a couple of days in the office and the rest at home, which ensures everyone stays in touch face-to-face. In some cases, remote work, especially when completed in a timely and effective manner, can help increase collaboration and enhance job satisfaction for employees. But, on the flip side, when work submitted does not make the grade and shows signs of employee distraction amid remote working challenges, trust falters and employers might consider monitoring employee activity through the workday. If you want to signal that you tolerate virtual work, come into the office every day and join meetings in-person with those who happen to be in the building.