With the ongoing pandemic, companies around the world are experimenting with remote working. Companies may or may not succeed in these trying times as they are to adopt a different concept by requesting employees to divide their time for work and personal life. There are many benefits of working from home. It boils down to normalizing remote working and getting the best out of its productivity. Questions and predictions arise to what’s in for the working lifestyle after the pandemic and how it could transform a company’s structure all together.
This isn’t something new, however. If we were to go back into history before the Industrial Revolution, everyone made do with working at their homes; carpentry, pottery, you name it. Only after that, designated spaces such as factories were built for them to complete their work. As technology advanced, corporate headquarters and larger offices increased overtime that came with fixed working hours for the employees. Now, the existence of the internet and Wi-Fi has paved the way for anyone to be able to work from home with ease.
In the U.S, remote working has increased by 159% between 2005 and 2017. According to the 100 Top Companies with Remote Jobs in 2020, the top five remote career fields are:
- Medical & health
- Computer & IT
- Customer service
- Education & training
- Sales
- Accounting & finance
Finland was the only country offering the most flexible working policies in 2011 and following Finland, other global companies such as Virgin embraced the concept. Finland’s Working Hours Act was enforced from January 2020 onwards aiming to change the way people work with prerequisites of flexible working time.
“Work is what you do and not a place you go.”
Mohammed Chahdi, Director of Global Human Resources of Dell
Without a doubt, there is a silver lining when it comes to long term benefits of remote working within corporations. Let’s take a look at some of them:
#1 Flexible working environments = happier employees
Many companies are learning to embrace flexible working styles as a way to entice employees. Buffer’s annual report The State of Remote Work highlighted that 99% of respondents are keen on working remotely some time in their careers. It was also mentioned that remote working will be the norm as companies are embracing this to recruit employees. Companies tend to maintain higher retention rates and employees are happier to work remotely for the rest of their careers too.
Why remote working? Most remote workers reasoned out with having a flexible schedule along with the ability to work from anywhere. This allows them to have a positive work-life balance and reduced stress.
“Remote work isn’t just a different way to work – it’s a different way to live,” stated Amir Salihefendic, the CEO of Doist. However, what lies on the other side of remote working is not visible to others as what individuals themselves experience. Isolation, anxiety and depression are very likely to occur, which can often be dealt with through proper self and time management.
#2 Increase in productivity
Companies are resorting towards remote working as it has shown an increase of productivity in their work of their employees, and the CEO of Hubstaff, believes in this especially when the company is fully remote as well and the team creates time tracking and productivity software.
Back in 1994, AT&T employees were made to work from home and it is one of the many corporations who has pioneered remote working. It has shown that 87% of the employees believe that their effectiveness on the job has increased.
When working from home, employees reduce their time commuting potentially running late or leaving early. This allows the employee to concentrate on their work better with less distractions, decreasing break time, sick days, and time off.
#3 Getting a bang for your buck
Some companies have dipped their toes in the remote workforce by having a work-from-home policy once or twice a week. Through adopting such policies, it is possible for companies to save money on resources such as internet and space.
With the advancement of technology, it is undoubtedly argued that cloud-based technologies make it possible to work as usual. Less hardware equals less cost for purchasing and maintenance, with the added advantage of only paying for what you need.
The US Patent and Trademark Office estimated a whopping US$38.2M savings in office costs while allowing examiners to work remotely.
Dell, saves $12 million on an annual basis after formalizing their work from home policy since 2014. All employees were trained accordingly to adapt into this culture and with fewer people in the office. Dell did not need as much office space which contributed to the savings of the company.
Flexibility in work is very beneficial if you do it right. From having happier employees to work with, increased productivity and also increasing savings of the company. It’s an instant boost for employees to be motivated in accomplishing their roles. Companies have already implemented this before the pandemic and have benefited from the results of it. Aligning with the culture and ensuring that the employees’ needs are met will uplift the companies ability to adapt to remote working. If they can do it, why can’t we?
The best part of remote working is that you can do it from anywhere, be it at home, at a cafe or a coworking space. If you’re looking into transforming the way you work, you can find out more about our coworking solutions here. Join our community by dropping us a message! Get a free day pass to our space once the movement control order has been lifted. In the meantime, stay home and stay productive!
