It’s easy to see why remote work has become such a widely-embraced concept in recent years. For starters, the COVID-19 pandemic largely facilitated the need for companies that once disparaged remote work to grudgingly embrace it. Second, as many members of the workforce have come to discover, it’s a lot more convenient than enduring a frustrating commute, dealing with office politics and needlessly reporting to a formal workplace. As such, small business owners who are currently on the fence about offering continued remote work options should consider the following benefits.
A Reduction in Operating Expenses
The fewer people who are in your office day-to-day, the less operating expenses you’re likely to have. For example, if you provide employees with food and beverages, you’ll be able to massively scale back the amount you spend on workplace refreshments. You can also expect to see a reduction in utility costs. After all, if your base of operations is sparsely populated, there’s going to be a dramatic reduction in how much electricity is being used. Fewer people present on a daily basis may also make it easier to keep your office up to code. A dependable code enforcement software program may also come in handy in this area.
Embracing remote work may also be able to help you on the rental front. For instance, if your business is based in an expensive area with high rental rates, allowing employees to work from home can enable you to move your base of operations to a smaller – and more affordable – space. Depending on where you’re based, this stands to save you a tremendous amount of capital each month.
Consistently Satisfied Employees
Although many employers regard worker satisfaction as an afterthought, it should actually be among your top priorities. The happier your employees are, the more likely they are to tackle their work with enthusiasm and vigor. Conversely, workers who feel disheartened, disrespected or unappreciated by their respective employers are likely to show their dissatisfaction in the quality of their work.
When it comes to fostering a happy workforce, embracing remote work can set the stage for success. Congested commutes, stressful office politics and incessant micromanaging are among many people’s least favorite aspects of their respective jobs. And by allowing your employees to work from home, you’re essentially removing these obstacles to satisfaction and productivity. Remote work can prove particularly beneficial to employees with children and assorted family obligations – i.e., people who tend to feel left in the dust by employers.
Embracing remote work is also a great way to show your employees how important their needs and satisfaction are to you. If there’s one thing workers hate, it’s feeling as if their needs are being actively ignored by their employers. As such, allowing them to work from home will illustrate your commitment to respecting their opinions, schedules and contributions to your business.
High Employee Retention
It’s only natural that you’d want to retain your business’s top talent. In the absence of their valuable contributions, your enterprise would have considerable trouble staying afloat. Unsurprisingly, businesses that pay little to no attention to the needs of their workforce tend to have low employee retention. After all, if your current employer views you as expendable and consistently refuses to acknowledge your needs, why wouldn’t you jump ship at the first available opportunity?
Considering how big a deal-breaker remote work has become for many members of the workforce, it stands to reason that allowing employees to work from home can be a boon to your retention levels. Even if any team members receive other job offers, there’s a good chance they’ll choose to stick with you if remote work isn’t on the table.
There’s little wonder as to why remote work has caught on so much over the past couple years. Not only did embracing remote work help limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, it served to show many members of the workforce how unnecessary reporting to an office every day truly is. And now that so many of us have enjoyed the benefits of remote work, we’re not about to give it up. Business owners who are torn on whether to continue offering work-from-home options to employees are urged to consider the advantages discussed above.
Last Updated on 9 months by Hari
