Many employees have always desired to work from home, and it is a benefit many experienced in the last decade. Some years back, working from home was a status symbol, but today it is a transition many are making. This is something that is happening quite often. Working from home is an opportunity for both the business and employees to reap the benefits.
Of course, some of the benefits of working from home are obvious such as privacy, independence, self-sufficient, and flexibility. For businesses, they will enjoy benefits such as being better at retaining talent, reduce overhead costs and others. However, if you look deeper into the benefits of remote working, you will find many more benefits.
The million-dollar question is; why has it taken this long for remote work to become a common thing? The short answer is, few technologies made this impossible, which is why people were forced to work under one room/building. In other words, it makes in-house-level production impossible. However, due to advancements in technology, today working from home is quite possible and makes it easy for an institution and employees to adapt.
Let us look at the reasons companies trend towards centralized teams and prefer remote work methods:
For Employers
The primary goal or benefit of working at home for employees circles around empowerment. In other words, it is an opportunity given to employers to assume a more flexible schedule, which in turn gives the person the ability to create their work-related experience based on what makes sense to them. The merits related to this freedom include: –
- Productivity – Working from home has been proven to increase productivity. That is because it gives employees the ability to work based on what best suits their needs. As such, the employee gets more done. In other words, rather than accepting a rigid workplace schedule and structure, employees adapt the work to a mode they are comfortable with.
- Less time spent commuting – One advantage of working from home is the time employees save for daily commuting. It is a known fact that daily commuting puts a damper on any working day. Working from home places all things a worker may need closer like coffee, meal, and other things.
- Independence – Because the employee is working from home, they have a certain level of independence. In fact, the employee will gain confidence and respect for a business that trusts them to work from home. As such, independence begins to manifest in employees in many ways such as confidence in their work, their willingness to do more, and so on.
- Happiness and morale improvement – Working from home is a goal many employees wish for, and many are happy to have. Allowing employees to work from home gives them an opportunity to gain work and life balance.
For Employers
The benefits of working from home for employees revolve around the actual work and the overhead costs. In fact, when employees work from home, it directly affects the bottom line (overhead cost) and boosts other characters such as building a culture and accessing talent. On the other hand, giving up some oversight and control is an employer’s form of freedom. The benefits include:
- Access to talent – Working from home exposes a business to a wide pool of talent. Remember, the physical location does not dictate the talent pool but the individual. What does this mean? For example, assuming that you need a Web Developer, you are not restricted to your city or state; you can choose worldwide. We are living in an era where a globalized economy is encouraged and has become a strategic part of a business.
- Technological benefits – technology gives businesses that competitive edge. As you know, working from home requires technology, which forces businesses to adapt and grow their strategy. Remote working aids a business adapt quickly to new technologies and find smarter solutions where necessary.
- Decrease overhead costs – This is a benefit that many businesses take advantage of. For example, assuming that a company has over 20 in-house employees. That company will have to find a space that can accommodate that number of people. However, if you have only 5 in-house employees and 15 remote employees, you will need a space that can accommodate 7 people, which decreases overhead costs.
The Disadvantages Of Remote Work
Just like everything in this world, remote working comes with a few limitations and disadvantages. With this option, trust is one of the major issues. Businesses need to trust their employees so that they can stay productive and maintain expectations. This can easily be managed with Track Time 24, a simple solution to work scheduling. On the other hand, employees must trust the employer that they will not abuse their working hours or build unrealistic expectations. To some people, it can be challenging to develop a healthy work habit or maintain personal accountability.
However, for one to enjoy the benefits, the right expectations for remote work must be applied and worked on. In all concepts, there is giving and taking between both the employee and the employer. Therefore, finding the right balance is paramount for the success of the business.