As the world slowly regains a sense of normalcy, companies are reverting to traditional ways of doing business. While some policies and procedures were reinstated quickly, others have been adopted more slowly, with the hopes of complete implementation over the coming months.
But there’s one area that many businesses won’t change at all. In fact, it’s become a new way of maximizing employee satisfaction and output, while saving money at the same time. Remote work is reshaping business, disrupting previous trends in urban geography, and creating new opportunities for workers and the companies that employ them.
Zoom Towns
Aside from reshaping work environments, the current business climate is changing where people actually live. No longer tethered to large, expensive cities in order to attain a career in their desired field, remote work allows people to live anywhere, and take advantage of economic, cultural, and aesthetic advantages found in smaller locations. If you can work from anywhere (thanks to applications like Zoom, which allow for productive, real-time virtual attendance in the workplace), rural areas begin to emerge as desirable places to live. These Zoom towns are a boon to communities who appreciate the economic benefits that result from the influx of professionals, and are attractive destinations for workers who now have more freedom regarding where they want to live.
Similar benefits also apply to the employer side of the equation. A company is no longer limited to a hiring pool based on who actually lives close enough to its physical location. Making good hires is always a challenge, and used to come down to picking the best option from a small subset of industry talent. Unless they lived close enough for an acceptable commute, they weren’t a viable option for the company.
Now that’s changed. With remote opportunities becoming a permanent staple of the new workplace, companies are also free to select talent from anywhere with an internet connection. That freedom often results in better hires, since they’re getting the very best candidate for the job, while offering the benefit of working at home to that candidate. Remote offers a win/win that benefits the worker, the employer, and a third win to smaller cities as well.
Productivity and Satisfaction
Happy employees tend to produce better work, and are less likely to look for a job somewhere else. Remote work is an opportunity to offer a valuable perk to workers without costing the company more money.
In today’s environment, employees who work remotely can be just as collaborative and productive as their office counterparts. There’s no downside in ability or efficiency; it’s simply a benefit companies can offer workers that makes them more satisfied with their careers. And that benefit could be the reason a candidate chooses your company over another that’s offering a similar compensation package.
And once hired, when employees are satisfied, they tend to stay. Retention rates improve, and the costs (and headaches) associated with the hiring process are mitigated.
Offering a larger degree of flexibility makes employees feel valued, which is a benefit that can’t be achieved with salary alone. And by eliminating challenging commutes and letting them work in a comfortable environment, remote work provides a level of flexibility that will be appreciated by a happy, productive workforce.
Significant Cost Savings
If remote work came with a modest cost to your business, it would be easy to find reasons to justify it. But it doesn’t add to your expenses; in fact, companies that take advantage of a remote workforce recognize overall savings as a result.
A company with a smaller staff in the office is leaner and enjoys less overhead. Rent and office supplies costs are reduced. Workers avoid long commutes, and that time savings allows them to start the workday more effectively. Any expense associated with hosting a large number of staff in an office setting is reduced greatly. And everyday life circumstances that happen to everybody — from car problems to sick children at home — don’t necessarily require a full day off of work. The company can see continued production from an employee while also letting them handle unexpected events as they occur. That scenario creates another win/win by utilizing remote work opportunities.
Finally, the savings actually grow over time. With a predictable percentage of employees working remotely, companies can downsize their office needs on a permanent basis. And as the organization gets used to managing remote teams, future growth and hires won’t necessarily require more in-office personnel and expenses. The absence of those expected costs is another savings, which continue in perpetuity.
A work environment optimized for remote employees can easily remain that way, even as the business expands. When it becomes an integral part of how a company does business instead of an afterthought, remote work isn’t challenged by growth; it encourages growth.
Next Steps
While encouraging and developing a remote workforce isn’t difficult with the right expertise, it can be overwhelming to do it alone. Imperium Data can help with all the necessary steps, from highlighting the benefits and developing a realistic timeline to analyzing current technology assets and creating a plan to get all the necessary components in place. If you want to start utilizing remote workers, or you need help getting a handle on the remote work situation you already have, we’re here to assist you. Use our contact page for prompt answers to your questions.
