Over the past few years, many people have had an opportunity to try working from home. From this situation, we have learned that 77% of remote workers believe they work a lot better when not stuck in the office. Of course, you want a piece of that remote worker pie, but how do you convince the rest of your team of the benefits?
Below, we have listed seven major reasons why your office would benefit from hiring remote workers. As you read through them, you should gain an understanding of how this hiring practice will improve work for everyone. So, read on and learn what you need to fill the workplace environment of 2022.
1. Better Productivity in the Workplace
It is a popular belief that those who are working from home are not working as hard. We can all understand why, as “home” is not always synonymous with hard work. Although, the data proves that this assumption is incorrect.
Several studies have now shown that people who are working remotely can allow themselves to dedicate extra time to work. In comparison to those who work from the office, people working from home are unproductive almost one-third of the day less.
Statistics show that around 70% of all offices in the United States are open-plan spaces. While these allow for more freedom in much more comfortable employees, they also increase distractions. Businesses lose around $600 billion a year due to such distractions, something you do not find in a tailor-made home office space.
2. Fewer Absences
Much like the longer working time per day, remote workers work more days over time. Last year, office workers had an average of almost 22 working days each month in comparison to office workers, who only had 20.5. Companies hiring remote workers get more work out of their staff, it is as simple as that.
When working remotely, there are many reasons why someone would be more likely to avoid absences. These can include:
Sickness at home. Because they do not need to avoid coworkers, office workers can continue to perform their role in an enclosed space. This avoids the potential of the disease spreading through the office, also.
No need for escape. While people may still want PTO to take a break from work, they will not need to take a break from the office itself. Fewer people working remotely take PTOs, meaning you get more days out of them over time.
3. Higher Levels of Retention
One of the most significant issues facing companies these days is not only finding, but also keeping the best talent. Losing people has many costs, including both monetary and experience losses. You will need to get people back, train them, and get them up to speed on your company culture.
Some places are already talking about how this need has dried up since remote work became more popular. Instead, many of them want to stick around for longer.
A lot of this is down to the personal freedoms people have in remote working. In some surveys, over 3/4 of respondents quoted that flexibility and telecommuting as the main reason for being able to keep workers on board.
4. Lower Carbon Footprint
Green workspaces are now considered one of the major incentives to working in an ethical company. As such, some of the major US cities for remote workers are thinking more about how working from home affects your ecological footprint. Offices are planning for this, and have worked out that remote working helps reduce your carbon output.
The main reason for this is a reduced amount of driving to and from a workspace. Compared to this, even things that increase the at-home emissions are negligible.
5. Lower Costs
Think about an office where you do not need to keep the air conditioning on as much. Where “free tea and coffee” is rarely used. Where instead of desks and chairs for everyone, there are only a few private meeting rooms and collaborative spaces.
This is the dream of the manager who wants to save money. By reducing the number of people in a shared space via remote working, you do not need to cater to their needs. Instead, they will be doing this themselves at home.
Not only that, but you will not need to worry about the conflicts that arise from people changing the thermostat in the office. These can end up with you needing to pay for both heating and cooling of the office.
6. More Skill Potential
If you are only hiring from local sources, you often have to compete with a very high number of companies that are trying to hire the same people. You might also have a lack of talented individuals in your area.
One of the best ideas for remote workers to start applying for a job with you is to go online. Use an online remote worker acquisition company that can find you the kind of talent you need to get exactly the skills you need when you need them.
7. Safer Working
It is not only COVID as a danger that you have to worry about in an open office. Also, you must worry about other aspects of health and safety. You need to maintain fewer fire exits, first-aid kits, and other office safety equipment if your office space reduces.
Instead, you can track the well-being of your workers as they perform their duties within the safety of their own homes.
Supporting Remote Workers
You should now have the information available to be able to discuss working remotely with your company. Or, if you are the hiring manager, you can instead make some important remote working decisions yourself. When you look for remote workers, there are some places you will need to go to find the best hires.
Whether you hire from local sources or further afield, you can ask us for our advice on where the best remote workers are. We are here to help you, so pick up the phone and give us a call today.
