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October 19, 2021

6 Benefits of Remote Work Policies You Need to Know About



The COVID-19 pandemic forced many employers to adopt remote work policies even when they hadn’t planned to. But remote work was already on the rise before the pandemic began.

That’s because early research consistently indicated that remote work policies offer numerous benefits for both workers and their employers. The following are among the most significant.

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Increased Productivity

Some firms had been reluctant to allow staff to work from home because they were worried that doing so would result in a reduction in productivity. This was an understandable concern.

However, studies and surveys have shown that allowing employees to work outside of the office does not reduce productivity. In fact, substantial evidence has indicated remote work policies result in a boost to productivity.

This may seem counterintuitive. But it begins to make sense when you study the way remote work policies help employees save time.

The average commute for an employee before the pandemic was nearly half an hour. That may not seem much, but over time, it adds up to a substantial loss in hours spent on actual work-related tasks.



By no longer having to devote time to a commute, employees can now focus more of their energy on productive labor.

Improved Engagement

Employee engagement is vital at any operation, regardless of your industry. When employees are more engaged, they are more likely to be motivated, enthusiastic, and generally satisfied with their positions.

This reduces turnover (which can be very costly) and provides the company a competitive advantage that others may not enjoy. This is another reason employers should strongly consider making remote work policies permanent.

If employees are able to work from home, they can spend more time with their loved ones. They can also spend more time on activities they find genuinely enjoyable.

As a result, they feel less frustrated when they do have to spend time working, because they believe they achieve a fair work/life balance.

Employee Safety

This is a critical point that’s easy to overlook. When employees need to commute to work, the chances of their being involved in a collision escalates.

That may not be something many employers dwell on, if they’re aware of it at all, but it’s worth considering when you decide whether remote work policies should become permanent.

The chances of employees being injured in on-the-job accidents and commuting accidents are much lower when they don’t have to travel outside of their home to do their job.

Another way employers can boost engagement has been revealed by research that has shown employees tend to be more engaged when they feel their employer is taking suitable steps to keep them safe. Studies also indicate that when employees are more engaged and feel safe in the workplace, they’re more likely to prioritize the safety of their coworkers.

This is helpful in instances when employees can’t work from home and need to operate in potentially hazardous environments, such as a factory. Depending on the field your business operates in, your staff may not be able to work remotely every day.

Making them safer by letting them work remotely part of the time can generate the right impression for you during times when people do not have to work on-site.

Casting a Wider Net When Hiring

Giving employees the option to work from home (or wherever else they wish to work from) doesn’t merely benefit your current staff. It can also help you attract stronger talent in the future.

When you limit yourself to hiring workers who already live near your office or are willing to relocate, you might prevent your firm from bringing on the most eligible candidates for a wide range of positions. But when you can hire people who could work from almost anywhere, you have the option to choose the best candidate for the job, instead of the best candidate who also happens to live close enough to your office to commute with ease.

Saving Money

Making money is of course one of your primary tasks as a business owner. So is saving it. Without experiencing a negative impact on the quality of your services or products, you need to reduce spending wherever it’s possible.

This is another reason to adopt remote work policies. Allowing employees to work from home helps you save money on office space.

This will also reduce your consumption of resources, which is becoming increasingly valued by consumers. Surveys show that customers have increasingly prioritized giving their business to companies that engage in sustainable practices.

If your firm limits resource usage by eliminating office space, you might make a better impression on potential clients.

Attracting Talent

It’s become utterly clear that many of today’s job seekers prefer to fill roles that allow them to work remotely. Though workers are willing to take office jobs if they don’t have other options, people generally want to be able to work from home if they are in industries that allow it.

Obviously, some types of jobs do not give employees that option. For example, construction workers must work at job sites that are almost always going to be not under their control.

But research has shown that when a job can theoretically be filled remotely, and an employer clearly states it has adopted a remote work policy, ambitious job-seekers will be more interested in that position.

No organization can thrive unless it is staffed by talented workers. Thus, business owners and managers have to modify their employment policies at times to ensure they appeal to potential job candidates.

It is now clear that allowing workers to perform their job from home is a practice that can help an organization attract the best talent today.

These are all solid reasons that remote work is becoming more popular. While adjusting to an office-free work model can be challenging for some business owners, in the long run the benefits justify the time and money it may take to make the switch.



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