Working remotely offers benefits for companies, not just employees or contractors. What are some of these advantages?
First, the obvious: streamlining time and cost. But it can go far beyond just that. Remote work may increase productivity and stimulate the company’s innovation and momentum.
According to a study by the consulting firm Meta4, remote work is capable of:
- Reducing absenteeism by up to 60%;
- Increasing travel expense savings by up to 56%;
- Growing production by 56%;
- And even reducing employee turnover by 20%.
All of the above, at the same time, produce a series of advantages for companies as outlined below.
Working remotely increases performance and productivity
According to a study by SonicWall, 76% of remote employees affirm that they are more creative at home than in an office, while 26% state that they are more motivated while working from home.
In fact, according the same study, 61% of company managers have confirmed that remote workers perform better and are more productive.
This type of study agrees with a Stanford report which affirms that work-from-home workers increase performance and productivity by 13%, which also means an increase in profits for companies.
These figures are due to less stress from working from home and greater morale on the job. A study from PGI resulted in 82% of the remote workers surveyed reporting lower stress levels and 80% reporting higher morale.
Considering this first advantage, it makes sense for companies to hire remote workers.
Remote work saves companies the expense of office space
Having in-office workers requires having facilities with capacity for the number of employees to be hired. Each worker represents at least one office in which they can carry out their activities.
Along with this requirement, one must consider the expense of rent and maintenance, custodial services, computers and other work equipment, and electricity, among other costs.
Research results can be consulted online which break down the savings level for companies that opt for remote work. One relevant study was carried out by Forbes magazine in 2013.
With the remote work model, you’ll have workers who use their homes as an office, use their own computers or equipment, depend on their own internet connection, and consume electricity from the service they pay for themselves, among other things.
Even for companies which absorb the cost of office equipment for telecommuters, the savings is still significant on rent and maintenance.
Greater recruiting possibilities
Another advantage and reason for your company to consider remote work is having broadened recruiting options.
Depending on your company’s location, it could be difficult to find a worker with the specific profile for your vacancy.
A company may find an ideal candidate, only to discover that the worker is not available because of distance, or relocation costs may be too high for the company to take on.
This situation is solved with remote work. The company may even go with international recruiting for the talent needed for the job. This offers greater possibilities for selecting the ideal professional for the position.
In fact, not only is it a benefit for a worker to save commuting time, it’s also helpful for companies. In the year 2014 alone, according to a study, U.S. workers spent 29.6 billion hours commuting to the office.
With remote work, those hours are saved for the worker, which means greater productivity for the company.
More attractive for talent; greater loyalty
Although some business executives may think that a better proposed salary will attract more talent to the company, or that a raise in salary will result in worker loyalty, the reality is that work flexibility is the most powerful stimulant for both objectives.
According to the communications company Unify, 43% of workers surveyed in a study prefer a more flexible schedule over a raise in salary.
This means that remote work is a greater incentive, since it allows workers to enjoy better labor conditions, and to save time and energy in avoiding commutes, among other benefits.
Conclusion
Now that you know the benefits for your company of remote work, it’s time to think about hiring freelance professionals. At Workana, you can explore your options.
Keep in mind that major companies, corporations, and organizations today are enjoying the advantages of remote work.
According to Unify, NASA was able to save 21 million dollars in 2012, thanks to the remote work model. The pharmaceutical company Glaxo Smith Kline saves 10 million dollars each year with this model.
Some companies are experimenting with a mixed model, having on-site workers and freelancers available for certain tasks. Among these are American Express, Xerox, Apple, and Dell.
Other companies are working 100% with remote teams, among them Automattic, Edgar, Hubstaff, Toggl, Zapier, Basecamp, Buffer, Doist, Trello, InVision, and Toptal.
Join this movement toward greater benefits and allow your company to enjoy the advantages of remote work. Save more money, become more effective, and increase worker productivity.
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