To achieve a better work-life balance, a growing number of people are looking for flexible work arrangements.
Most employees are pushing to compress their workweeks, set their hours, and escape the daily commute by working from home.
From an employee’s perspective, working from home has several perks that make their lives easier.
Numerous studies show that remote employment results in a win-win situation for both employee and employer.
Here are six reasons you should explore the option of letting your employees telecommute regularly.
It Increases Worker Productivity
Surprisingly, most workers tend to be more productive in work from home arrangements than in an office environment.
You might be tempted to think that productivity is likely to slack off without direct supervision, but that’s not the case.
Remote workers tend to be more productive because they are spared the myriad of distractions present in a busy office environment.
Productivity killers that range from loud colleagues, endless meetings, office politics, heavy foot traffic, walk-in clients, and more are rife in most office environments.
For employees whose jobs call for deep concentration, a quiet home environment eliminates distractions to allow them more time to crush their tasks.
Working in isolation makes for increased productivity since employees have the advantage of single-mindedly committing to a task and seeing it through to completion.
It takes the average office worker about 30 minutes to refocus on a task after being interrupted, resulting in a productivity dip.
A study by Michigan State University found that the distraction that results from shifting between tasks results in twice as many mistakes.
It Makes Your Workers More Committed
Telecommuting comes with the risk of workers binging on Netflix or embarking on long shopping trips when they should be working.
Surprisingly, only a small portion of remote workers get suckered in by the newly found freedom.
Most people cherish the freedom and the benefits that come with working from home and so they go the extra mile to hang on to them.
For instance, sparing a staff member an hour-long daily commute during rush hour each way comes with tremendous benefits spread across all spheres of life.
Research estimates that remote workers gain up to three extra weeks and save between $2,000 and $7,000 annually by skipping the daily commute.
Allowing workers to telecommute sends a strong message that you value and trust them enough to afford them such privileges.
Remote workers understand that they need to step up their game and crush their duties to retain these privileges, which results in an uptick in productivity.
Given the flexibility that comes with a work from home situation, remote workers are amenable to logging in after-hours to address any pressing work issues.
Research shows that workers who enjoy work from home employment are not only innovative and productive but also tend to be fiercely loyal to the company.
Instituting a work from home policy might be the key to building a world-class team that is committed to helping your company achieve its goals.
You Get to Streamline Your Workflow
A smooth workflow is central to the success of your business.
Workflow creates a repeatable series of business processes that increase productivity and efficiency.
It lets you cut out inefficient steps and avoid duplication of roles while matching workers with their skills and abilities.
Embracing a telecommuting business culture forces you to take a deeper look at your workflow.
If forces you to drill down to the job roles available, the people responsible for each task as well as the turnaround time.
With deep insights into the amount of work that needs to be done, you can eliminate bottlenecks and optimize the execution plan.
A smooth workflow improves business productivity and efficiency while letting you increase your turnaround time as well as the quality of service.
That leads to improved customer satisfaction and experience, the two factors that herald unprecedented business growth, and increased revenue.
You Get to Lower Your Overhead Costs
Utility bills alongside the payroll take a massive chunk out of monthly revenue, drastically reducing your net profit.
Switching to a telecommuting model lets you cut down on each of these costs and grow your profit margins.
For starters, it eliminates the need to rent a vast office space since you only need to accommodate a few essential personnel or none at all.
That lowers your monthly rent obligations as well as the associated utility bills.
Secondly, you can switch your hiring models and strictly work with independent contractors instead of full-time employees.
Working with freelancers and independent contractors eliminates some payroll obligations such as medical insurance, retirement benefits, overtime, and more.
That allows you to grow your profit margins without a corresponding hike in the costs of your goods and services.
You can afford to lower the price of your products against your competition without compromising on quality or slashing your profit margins.
You Get to Hire the Best Talent
Skilled workers routinely turn down lucrative job offers if the position entails uprooting their entire life and relocating to a new city.
That can impede your ability to fill your ranks with talented employees scattered around the country and internationally.
Onboarding remote workers lets you overcome such obstacles without breaking a sweat.
You can hire the best workers without forcing them to abandon their friends and family in the pursuit of their dream jobs.
Since you’re instrumental in letting them lead a happy and fulfilling life, these people make diligent business partners who are only too glad to help you grow your operations.
Better yet, hiring remote workers lets you tap into the global workforce and staff your company with skilled experts from around the world.
This also allows you to take advantage of lower asking wages from South East Asia, Africa, and more.
Outsourcing tasks to contractors overseas lets you lower your wage bills without resorting to unethical business practices.
A diverse workforce comprising of top experts from around the world lets you come up with innovative products and increases your global appeal.
You Can Cherry Pick Your Clients
During the growth phase, it’s only natural to go after every client who promises you a payday.
Every dollar counts during this stage, especially when you have a huge wage bill, and you can’t afford to turn away even terrible clients.
Problem clients tend to be too demanding, slow to pay and dispute every invoice, all of which can suck the joy right out of your work.
They can take up so much of your time with endless complaints to the point of leading you to neglect your other clients, negatively impacting revenue generation and customer satisfaction.
Since telecommuting lowers your wage bills, you can afford to fire such clients without jeopardizing your business operations.
That leaves you with a lean list of valuable clients who treasure and value your skills and abilities.
High caliber clients trust your capabilities and won’t set impossible deadlines or try to micromanage your operations.
That lets you create a fun and enjoyable working environment for you and your staff members, which entices them to stick with your company for a long time.
Don’t Get Left Behind, Let Them Work from Home
In addition to saving time and money on the commute, remote workers are able to tend to their personal needs without asking for time off.
At first glance, it seems working from home skews in favor of the employee, which, naturally, is likely to put employers on edge.
However, you stand to reap benefits by the boatload if you allow your employees the option to work from home.
