Can remote working benefit your business?

Posted by Mariano S. Smith on October 19th, 2019

The days of the designated workplace may soon be behind us…

We’re all aware of the negative connotations that are associated with working from home – the image of someone sitting in their pajamas with their laptop while watching daytime television. But there is plenty of evidence to suggest that working remotely doesn’t deserve this bad reputation.

In fact, with office software and remote technologies making communication between employees, clients and customers easy, tasks can be carried out with ease. And it must be working to some extent, as there are now thought to be more than four million people working from home full time in the UK, and this doesn’t include those who only work from home occasionally.

Working from home helps you create the perfect environment

Working from home offers ultimate control over your working environment. In the absence of background noise such as ringing phones, rustling paper and talking colleagues, workers can create a serene working environment that suits them perfectly. At home you can set up a desk with a comfortable chair, fix the heating to a temperature you are comfortable with and play soothing music to get your creative juices flowing or up-tempo songs to boost production.

Remote working can actually boost productivity

Despite the common consensus, research has shown that remote workers actually achieve more on a day-to-day basis than their office counterparts. With more control over their environment, no commute to eat into office hours, and a lack of break room distractions, employees have more time to get through their workload.

According to a report from Inc. Magazine, remote workers are twice as likely to work beyond 40 hours a week – and are likely to be 20% more productive when it comes to completing creative projects.

No commuting time or travel costs

A huge plus that comes with starting your day in the comfort of your own home is no more daily commute. As any road user will know, the morning rush hour can create plenty of unnecessary stress. Without the worry of being stuck in never ending lines of traffic you can start your day with more energy and time to focus as soon as you sit down. Without travel time to factor in, workers can spend an extra hour in bed, exercising or carrying out a hobby to boost their mood for the day ahead.

Maximum flexibility for employers

The beauty of remote work is that it offers the flexibility for you to work from a range of locations outside the office. While the freedom to roam can be incredibly important to employee wellbeing, it can also benefit employers too as you can widen your pool of applicants when recruiting the best team members. Hotspots, cloud-based software and telecommunication programs like Skype and even FaceTime mean workers can indulge in a switch up whenever they choose. Whether that means opting for a local coffee shop or a bench in the sun, a change of scenery can help boost mood and re-energise employees whenever they feel a lull in productivity.

Tech makes it easy

We’ve already touched on some of the tech that makes remote working possible, like Skype and Facetime. These make communication between employees, clients and employers easier than ever, meaning there is less need to all be in the same place.

What’s more, cloud software makes it easy to upload, save, share and edit files all in one place. Anyone with the necessary security information to hand can access these documents, meaning team members can work together on projects despite being in different locations. Even better, the cloud is very secure so there is less chance of a data breach. You can also seek out help from a designated IT support team like Syntax IT Supportto help boost your business security.