Remote working may not be something that you have considered before, but either allowing yourself or your staff to work away from the office from time to time or on a regular basis can provide many benefits to business particularly smaller businesses. You don’t have to run a tech company nor be a maverick manager to suggest ideas like this these days – remote working offers flexibility and freedom for the business and your staff. Here are just a few reasons why you may want to consider remote working as an occasional or more permanent arrangement:
HAPPIER STAFF
There’s no doubt about it, giving staff the option to work from the comfort of their armchair will definitely make for happier employees. Many will enjoy the relaxed, slow-paced way of working and appreciate the break from the stresses and strains of the office, even for just one day a week. Some may find it allows them to get tasks completed more quickly but it may not suit everyone and some people will find other distractions that may prevent them from working effectively from home
MORE CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF OFFICE DOWNTIME
Instead of wasting the quieter periods in the office, having long conversations in the kitchen with staff, wandering from desk to desk, having extended coffee breaks etc. Use the time more wisely and choose remote working at quieter times of the month which can help to increase business productivity and prevent too many wasted hours at the office.
REDUCE OFFICE HOURS AND CUT COSTS
By assigning a few key staff to work remotely, you can cut office hours, which your employees will be thankful for and cut general costs of running the office, for example; electricity, furniture, heating costs and even help to reduce costs of office space as you the fewer staff the smaller office you will need. With remote working, there may not be any need to relocate to a larger office space, even if the business expands as you can easily select key workers that need to be in the office and those who would be better off working remotely.
FEWER SICK DAYS
Everyone is tempted to pull a sickie from work from time to time but by remote working, if you are feeling a bit under the weather, working from home means that you will not be coming in and sharing your germs with everyone else meaning less sick days. For those working from home that are not well, it provides a more comfortable environment to work in.
POSSIBILITY OF HIRING PEOPLE FROM FAR AWAY
It’s not always possible to seek employees that live right on the doorstep and there are some that cannot or will not be prepared to commute to work every day, so hiring someone to work remotely can allow you to offset some of your work elsewhere, without the time spent training them up or having to hire more office space or purchase an extra desk. This is also an excellent option for employees with children or those on maternity leave who would still like to work.
