In the past few weeks, the ability to work from home has become significantly more important. Due to the fast-spreading coronavirus, companies have been bound to start practicing remote work.
At CorpoHub, we have an office, just one office, where we meet every Monday. Other days of the week, we can split time between home and the workplace, but there are certain agreements we all follow.
First of all, we practice transparency. Every morning, we let the rest of the team know, what are our main tasks for that day. Second, we stay connected throughout the day via email, WhatsApp, Skype, Google Hangouts, etc. Third, when we have remote meetings, we always do video calls. The effect of actually seeing each other while talking is far more efficient that just talking over the phone.
For me, as a mother of two small girls living 50 kilometers outside of the capital, the possibility to work remotely is a really strong factor. Mornings can be significantly less stressful and at the end of the day, I don’t have to worry about the rush hour and picking up the girls on-time.
“Remote work is on the rise. Even though the ability to work from outside of a corporate office has been possible for a few decades, working remotely is only now becoming mainstream. “
Just recently, Buffer published their annual report: The State of Remote Work 2020. They asked over 3.500 remote workers from all around the globe to share their experiences and gathered them with three years of data from their previous annual reports. One statistic remains unequivocal each year: remote workers almost unanimously want to continue to work remotely (at least for some of the time) for the rest of their careers. I am definitely one of them. 🙂
The benefits of remote work
Giving employees the ability to work remotely has several advantages – not only for the employees but also for managers.
I will name a few, which I find important, but have positive effects visible on both sides.
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Increased Productivity
A Stanford survey shows that employees who work from home are 13 percent more productive than their in-office counterparts. That’s because they claim they’re not in a loud environment or distracted by co-workers. Remote workers also report less sick days and show a 50 percent decrease in employee attrition.
For me, coming to the office is still important. I like human interaction and there are always ideas or issues that are better solved in person. But when I have work which requires my utmost concentration, I prefer working from home.
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Less Time Spent Commuting
According to 2019’s Global Workspace Survey performed by IWG, two-fifths of all professionals worldwide consider the daily commute to be the worst part of their day. Instead of a “wasted time” on the road, working from home gives you the opportunity of a fresh and early start but it also reduces the traveling costs for the company.
The highway I take when I go to the office is often under construction or closed because of an accident. So instead of 30 minutes, I can get stuck in traffic even for a couple of hours. Time, I will never get back and I could definitely use for something more productive.
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Improved Employee Retention
Losing a valuable employee can give a dreadful headache to a small business. By not being able to compete with salaries and other bonuses of large organizations, they tend to offer other advantages. Due to the present agile culture in many small businesses employees can get the freedom they crave.
Homeworking can give parents with childcare responsibilities (like me :)) the flexibility they need, while other workers can benefit from an enhanced work-life balance. Both of these factors play a crucial part in employee retention.
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Environmental Benefits
The last, but probably the most important factor of reduced commute, is the positive impact on the environment. First of all, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease the consumption of fossil fuels. Second, we reduce the use of office resources like paper, printer, and energy sources. And third, by working from a home office, the amount of traffic is reduced and therefore lessened impact on the infrastructure.
Not all people are made for remote work since it requires a large amount of self-discipline. Especially because working from your home office can blur the lines between your work – private life. It is very important to separate those two and find the right balance.
My advice, which is often easier said than done: when your workday is over, turn off the computer and go spend time with your family. 🙂
Is your company struggling with the implementation of remote work? Reach out to us at hello@corpohub.com, our experienced team will gladly assist you.
