We are in the middle of a flexible revolution in the workplace. More staff than ever before are working remotely, and it is expected that 30% of the workforce will either be freelancers, outsourced or distant workers who spend much of their time working from home by 2020.
While the benefits of working from home are instantly apparent to staff, i.e. avoiding daily travel and working on a timetable that fits them, the benefits to employers are not always so evident.
So how can you take advantage of a more flexible strategy that provides your staff the liberty to work from home? These are some of the most convincing reasons why you could increase your small business by adopting flexible working methods.
1- Less Time Spent On Travel
There is no doubt that a decrease in the quantity of time spent on a stressful and unpleasant commute is an advantage for staff, but it could also increase your company’s performance.
Your workforce’s health and well-being has demonstrated to be linked to productivity and a decrease in absenteeism. Whether it’s a one-and-a-half hour train ride or a 30-minute drive through rush-hour traffic, they’re never going to get home. A staff member comes fresh at their desk when they work from home and raring to go.
Homework also decreases their travel expenses, which implies that your staff can spend more of their cash on the stuff they enjoy. The outcome is a more happy, healthier and motivated workforce.
2- Improved Employee Retention
For companies smaller in size, one of the greatest headaches is losing the staff that make them tick. Small companies are not always able to compete with bigger organisations when it comes to wages and benefits, so making the most of the benefits you have is essential.
While endless meetings and obsolete workplace procedures might maintain workers strongly attached to their desks in bigger organizations, the agility and entrepreneurial spirit that is alive and well in many tiny companies can offer employees the liberty they desire.
Homework can provide the flexibility that parents with childcare duties need, while other employees can benefit from an improved work-life balance. Both of these variables play a key role in retention of employees. Click here to read detailed employee retention strategies.
3- Access to a Wider Range of Applicants
The ‘ millennial impact ‘ is one of the main drivers behind the increase in remote work. Younger generations have grown up to be able to interact cheaply and efficiently from anywhere in the globe, so in a workplace setting they expect the same.
It also enables you to employ outside the ordinary commuting range by giving workers the capacity to work remotely. This can be particularly useful in places or jobs with a shortage of abilities, as tiny companies can expand their networks and work with the most skilled people, regardless of where they are based.
4- More Autonomous Employees
The capacity to work from home enables your staff to function in a manner that fits them. People can be very specific about how and when to operate. All staff have to adapt to the same strategy in an office setting. They have a lot more control at home.
Some employees are going to subscribe to the clean office, clean mind mantra, and they need to build a peaceful, spotless atmosphere in order to be able to do their utmost. Other employees might do their best work curled up on the sofa or even late at night, perhaps those with a more creative approach.
5- Lower Costs
We’re likely preaching to the converted here but it’s costly for office space. If you lease office room then as part of your capital allowance you can claim some of the expenses back, but it is still probable to be one of the largest fixed costs your company will have.
6- Better Use of Technologies
Without the wonderful technology we have today, working from home would be impossible. Technology is the main mobility enabler, with quick Wi-Fi links, smartphones, cloud computing, instant messaging, software for project management and VoIP enabling peers to interact and cooperate instantly.
