The benefits don’t just stop with removing the commute. Take this quick survey, and tell us what you think, 5 programming languages cloud engineers should learn, 10 fastest-growing cybersecurity skills to learn in 2021. Encouraging different ways of working allows companies to reduce their rent and property costs, according to Ian Adams, head of head of strategic marketing development at outsourcing company Mitie. For Hubstaff, I estimate working remotely saves us over $100K per year in leasing fees, in-house IT, utilities, and other expenses. I guess it’s time to look at the benefits of working remotely and understand why people choose remote work! Remote work provides a competitive advantage in terms of recruiting and retention when it is offered as a benefit or incentive. "Flexible working isn't just office or home -- there may be somewhere near home with better facilities," said Celia Donne, global operations director of Regus, an office accommodations provider. There are a few commonsense aspects to this. Share your opinions and experiences with fellow TechRepublic members. In their 2019 State of Remote Work report, OWL Labs surveyed 1,202 full-time workers (62% of who work remotely at least in part).More than 80% of respondents (both remote and on-site workers) stated that working remotely would make them:. Remote workers change all of that as you open yourself up globally. convince their bosses to let them work from home, Remote workers' output, loneliness, privacy, coverage: Tips on managing these issues, 10 ways to reduce interruptions and stay focused at work. According to the UK Office of National Statistics, "Commuters have lower life satisfaction, a lower sense that their daily activities are worthwhile, lower levels of happiness and higher anxiety on average than non- commuters." Harness the tools that make a remote company culture "The ability to work remotely eliminates the necessity for 'presenteeism' -- being in the office as much as possible," said Jonathan Swan, policy and research officer for Working Families, a charity specializing in work/life balance. This works both ways, once again. Remote workers tend to be more productive because: Additionally, according to a study conducted by the University of Illinois, telecommuters tend to go above and beyond the call of duty to be good citizens and give a little extra to the companies they’re working for. The cost-saving implications of remote workers alone make it a huge draw. Remote companies save a ton of money on overhead because there’s no physical office. I am not alone in this belief. I am an adventure traveller who has spent the last decade building businesses on the road and now help other entrepreneurs grow theirs. Fried calls this "the great irony of allowing passionate people to work from home". Working remotely calls for a different style of working, incorporating various techniques in order to be successful. Among their concerns: Can you trust a telecommuter? Remote work removes the need for a commute and the associated negative effects. When employees carry out their duties away from the office, that's remote working -- also known as telecommuting and telework. The traditional office is under attack, beaten down by remote video calls, outsourcing, and workers in coffee bars. This is because it not only creates greater freedom for individuals, but also offers entirely new recruiting possibilities for companies. 3. The overall benefits to your business and workers are evident. One of the most touted arguments for remote work is the increased productivity that comes with its flexibility. Owl Labs conducted a survey and found that 16% of global companies are now fully remote and 52% of employees around the world work from home at least one day a week. Nationwide's Wilkinson said, "When you're tweeting with people in your team close to midnight, it brings home that people are experiencing something beyond 'doing work' -- they're engaged in a different way.". Remote work has been along for much longer than people realize. But there are some things that might surprise you about what it’s … CES 2021: All of the business tech news you need to know, Adobe Flash: It's finally over, so uninstall Flash Player now, Is 5G overhyped? It's not an all-or-nothing definition. I write about entrepreneurship, digital nomads and marketing. Remote work is good for the environment and, in turn, good for business. Remote employees are more likely to put in extra effort intheir jobs, going above and beyond toget their work done in comparison to in-office employees. Then you need our list of 10 great reasons why remote work is better for businesses. Remote work, in addition to causing office attendance to decline, is having a profound effect on the design of physical offices that goes beyond just better wifi and more power outlets. Remote work is becoming more common all the time, yet the arguments for it seem frozen in time. Cost savings and productivity. Overall workplace stress is vastly reduced with 82% of remote workers reporting lower stress levels, and over 3000 workers were surveyed by FlexJobs who found 77% of respondents would be healthier if they had a flexible job and 86% would be less stressed. Work in your PJs, avoid the commute, answer emails from a hammock while sipping a pineapple daiquiri—you’ve heard the common benefits of working remotely (and yes, they’re true!). Remote work: new flexibility and what we have to surrender for it Location-independent work is a popular trend – not just among employees, but also for many companies. In recent years I founded Amar Digital - a full service digital marketing agency that helps entrepreneurs and startups grow their business. Feel more trusted at work; Feel less stressed; Better able to manage work-life conflict Nick's job stops there, and he hands over to the ... From start to finish: How to host multiple websites on Linux with Apache, Understanding Bash: A guide for Linux administrators, Video: 5 ways telecommuting benefits your company, Comment and share: 10 good reasons why working remotely makes sense. It demonstrates to employees that the company views them as people, recognizes and supports diversity, knows that one size does not fit all and works to provide a platform for all situations and environments. Remote work, flextime, career sabbaticals, and zero-hours contracts are all types of flexible work. "Choice is very important. All positives considered, it’s no surprise that remote work is on the rise. In the UK, workers spend on average 58 minutes commuting to work. According to Robert Gorby, marketing director of Powwownow, remote working provides choice. Companies have a wider hiring pool, but job seekers also are afforded the same benefit. We are one of the fastest-growing software companies in the U.S. and a 100 percent distributed team. The insurance giant Aetna shed 2.7 million square feet of office space resulting in a cost saving of $78 million per year. With no commute, no lunch rush, and no long hours in the office away from family or friends, working remotely can improve the health and wellness of employees by reducing stress, and keeping clear of sick colleagues can be effective in reducing the common cold. I've hired remote workers from places such as Canada, U.S., UK, and Australia all while I have been traveling the world myself. Some remote workers, like travelling salespeople and call center workers, are permanently away from their organization. Remote work was a critical enabler of business and economic continuity during the original shelter-in-place regulations, and may continue to be for future emergencies, especially now … Try squeezing a de-stressing lunchtime doze into your office day. I founded the millennial travel and backpacking website Gap Year Escape which resulted in a 9 year adventure exploring the 7 continents. There are certain advantages to gathering your whole team in the same space, but your costs would also increase. According to PGi, the average real estate savings with full-time teleworkers is $10,000 per employee per year. I am an adventure traveller who has spent the last decade building businesses on the road and now help other entrepreneurs grow theirs. Is the attraction of working from the sofa wearing pyjamas just too strong to resist? 75% feel very or somewhat prepared to work from home if they have to – possibly showing widescale adoption of videoconferencing and remote work technologies in recent years has better prepared companies and employees; 62% of Americans would take a pay cut to work … Being a remote employee promotes employee well-being. A US federal government report said that 47% of its employees (that's 1,020,034 people -- no, really, more than a million people) were eligible to telework -- a big increase over the year before. In “Here’s One More Reason to Convince Your Boss to Let You Work from Home” on the Penny Hoarder, you’ll find the virtues of remote work and why it’s truly one of the greenest ways to work. Top reasons to work remote. Last year, a British industry panel led by national daily The Guardian and conference call company Powwownow conducted a round-table discussion to tackle the issue of remote work. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. My work has been featured on Business Insider, TIME, BBC, Chicago Tribune, GQ, Vogue and Entrepreneur, among others. People have been working remotely and online for almost 20 years now. But who wants to work in the old headquarters? Why a Landscape of Remote-Work Tools is Better Than One “Super-App” By Aaron Wagner December 10, 2019 2 min read On November 22, Forbes published an article titled The Most Exciting Tech Trends For 2020, From Five Leading Investors Around The World . Remote work is working for us. Remote work and the flexibility to be location independent makes employees happier overall - with 83% of survey respondents agreeing that the ability to work remotely would make them happier, because of that employees are more likely to stick with employers who allow them the option to work from their location of choice. "There's less stress in the office and the workplace -- people feel empowered to work in a way that suits them and suits the business.". There’s no denying that the healthcare category tends to be one of … In “ On Working From Home, Better,” Remote.co partner company Balsamiq details what it takes in order to work from home successfully. TechRepublic Premium: The best IT policies, templates, and tools, for today and tomorrow. Due to the remote nature of the team, this allows for parents to make adjustments to their daily schedule that work around their families and routines. They can finish their work on their own time. In some cases, remote work is the only option for an individual. That’s because your boss’s job is to make the company happy and not to make you happy. Now office workers can get some of that action. Conventional wisdom suggests that remote workers will work less, due to their freedom from oversight and monitoring, but REMOTE warns managers that the bigger concern should be the inability to recognize burnout and overworking when the employee is not on-site. Remote working can have significant benefits for many employees, which explains why half of the UK's workforce is set to be remote working by 2020. Said no one. "You know what I want to do today? Not the AWOL type of absenteeism -- this is "remote from the office" absenteeism. If your business is oriented around your locality, you’re going to be a little limited in who you can hire. Nick Hardiman builds and maintains the infrastructure required to run Internet services. I founded the millennial travel…. The top reason is to save money (48%), the freedom to work anywhere (47%), and the work-life balance perk of more time with family. Remote work is like a magnifying glass for underlying people issues in companies- people problems that can be glossed over or shoved under the rug … Commuting length has been correlated with higher blood pressure and negative mood in the workplace. It's a threat that the CEO of Yahoo!, Marissa Mayer, famously tried to stamp out by forcing all employees to work onsite. Nick deals with the lower layers of the Internet - the machines, networks, operating systems, and applications. Flexible working is a done deal, but remote working continues to spread. There shouldn't be a technology-driven compulsion to work in a certain way.". Nearly half of all occupied US jobs are capable of being performed from home. Remote work industry is blooming along with freelancing, location independence and digital nomadism. For a lot of people, the entire concept of working remotely still feels completely foreign and unnatural. Turn to these must-read primers to get the skinny on the hottest tech topics, strategies, and analyses. By now you’ve seen that remote work offers increased flexibility and autonomy for employees, as well as increased worker productivity and cost savings for employers. Remote work is bound to see a larger growth spurt in the near future. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. Remote workers can be happier and healthier, and the knock-on effects can have positive impacts on your business. And less commuting means a smaller carbon footprint, making tree-huggers happier. AfterCollege conducted a survey that found 68% of millennials would be more inclined to favor a prospective company if remote work was an option. 4 Reasons Why You Should Consider Remote Work Because while certain types of people need the structure a traditional office setting provides to tell them when they need to get to work, others with self-motivation and discipline like you need your environment to inspire your energetic juices. What's going to happen next? I am also a conference speaker on the topics of lifestyle businesses and marketing. © 2021 ZDNET, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. The remote work revolution has been rumbling across industries for years now, and it isn't over yet. Remote work also helps improve retention rates by 10% so you can keep more of your top talent for longer. "We're seeing greater collaboration between HR, IT, property and facilities management and job titles like 'workplace director' making this agile workplace happen," Adams said. Be a technology-driven compulsion to work in the near future attractive to employees—and young workers in particular of... Positive impacts on your business and workers are evident physical office business trends like administration! Businesses on the hottest tech topics, strategies, and it is n't yet! For the position is tricky business benefits don ’ t need to commute into work people realize opinions and with! Because there ’ s job is to make you happy way. `` yourself! Improve retention rates by 10 % so you can hire revolution has been rumbling across industries years! 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