Employees with jobs that require minimal coordination could potentially use these findings in negotiations with a prospective employer, says Choudhury. Companies that let their workers decide where and when to do their jobs—whether in another city or in the middle of the night—increase employee productivity, reduce turnover, and lower organizational costs, new research suggests. Trying to analyze the question of remote versus in office work policy based on anecdotal evidence or an aggregation of “people” is rife with unnecessary risk.

Having looked at the key advantages of remote work for employers, let’s now discover the benefits employees can enjoy. Choudhury and his coauthors compared 600 examiners’ productivity under these various conditions. While working remotely, productivity increased among all examiners and continued to rise with each step toward the full work-from-anywhere policy, the researchers found. Productivity increased 4.4 percent when employees moved from working at home on a limited basis to the location of their choice. Based on a patent’s average value, this productivity gain could add $1.3 billion of value to the US economy each year, the researchers estimate.

Best Company Benefits Every Remote Team Should Get

Because of being around their kids, they would be able to know immediately if something went wrong. Thus they can focus on their work instead of spending precious time worrying. Personal life stress is one of the main culprits for a low day-to-day engagement at work.

Better work-life balance, increased health and wellbeing, and freedom to work from anywhere all stem from the flexibility of remote work. In this article, we’ll break down some of the other benefits of remote working and offer some tips on how to hire remote employees who are a good fit for your organization. Even though remote working is a good way to boost engagement, telecommuting every day may also limit it, too. Some remote employees get lonely without the office environment and the face-to-face interactions with their coworkers, which may result in lower engagement. When it comes to salaries, the savings might not be so obvious as in the case of office space.

Top 4 benefits of allowing employees to work remotely

In fact, 35 percent of employees would change jobs if it meant the ability to work off-site full-time, according to Gallup. Companies that offer a flexible working arrangement, such as full, half, or partial remote work, could make the difference for a candidate selecting their next career move. Having fewer employees in the office also reduces costs for a business. Do you see a thriving, energetic work center, or are you imagining some of the desks sitting empty, waiting to be filled with next year’s hires?

• Leaders can also establish an open-door policy and hold virtual “fireside chats,” without any structured content at all, to create a forum for less formal interactions.
• Employers may need to set up benefits to accommodate employees in specific locations.
• For many businesses, even a couple of decades ago, working remotely would have been nearly impossible.
• Employees can be more productive when working from home as it’s in their interest to get the job done effectively and not waste time.

Working from home or from another location outside of the office has become increasingly popular in recent years, as it can help companies reduce overhead costs and increase employee productivity. This guide will provide a comprehensive overview of the advantages of remote work and the legal considerations that must be taken into account. Informal interactions, which occur more naturally among co-located employees, don’t come about as easily in a virtual environment. Leaders need new approaches to creating them as people work both remotely and on-site. One approach is to leave a part of the meeting agenda free, as a time for employees to discuss any topic. Leaders can also establish an open-door policy and hold virtual “fireside chats,” without any structured content at all, to create a forum for less formal interactions.

Is remote work worse for wellbeing than people think?

One day people were working in their offices, the next they were connecting their laptops from home, instant messaging colleagues on Slack, and planning schedules on Trello. The benefits of remote working can be just as advantageous for the employer as the employee. Working out a mutually agreeable situation for both is ideal, as remote working is growing in popularity. While how companies benefit when employees work remotely many companies have been moving away from hierarchical organizations, remote work further encourages horizontal interactions with increased equality. In a Zoom meeting, there is no privilege on seating order or physical presence, as everyone’s screen is the same size. Gartner’s recent survey finds that about 70% of employees wish to continue some form of remote work.

• This provides a greater opportunity to find staff with specialized skills, therefore saving on training.
• A Gen Zer in the early stages of their career might value the social contact of the office, and their needs could be very different from a working mother or person who cares for an elderly parent.
• Equally dysfunctional is asking or expecting team members to wake up early or stay up late for team meetings.
• 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.
• Ensure that you’re meeting your employees’ needs and fostering a connected, productive workforce in order to maintain a high-growth, competitive company.
• Psychological safety matters in the workplace, obviously, and in a hybrid virtual model it requires more attention.

Overall, companies can benefit in many ways when they allow employees to work remotely. From cost savings to increased productivity, remote work can be a great way to improve a company’s bottom line. Additionally, there are many legal considerations that must be taken into account, and there are plenty of career development opportunities for remote workers. With the right tools and systems in place, companies can ensure that their remote workers are able to work effectively and productively. One of the biggest benefits of remote work is that it can save companies money.