4 remote work benefits for employers
How can you check if your team is really working and not doing laundry or having private phone calls? How does working remotely affect productivity and what are the requirements to even get into remote mode? Offering the opportunity to earn one’s living remotely ties into lots of different questions.
We at Ofri have been running our company remotely for more than 5 years now and doing pretty well with this modern culture – so why not share our experiences and thoughts on this topic? We will explain how employers can rock their business with remote work!
Prejudices managers need to get rid of before remote work really pays off
People who work remotely or companies that offer this option are faced with some prejudices. At first, managers should change their own mindset:
It’s not about control, it’s about faith.
Remote work is profitable if you hire the right people.
Focus on results, not on invested hours.
Freedom and flexibility lead to higher productivity.
Requirements for working remotely
Let’s start from the beginning: Which requirements do companies and their team members have to fulfill to even start working remotely?
First of all – you’re reading this, so you’ve already done the first step! Congratulations! Second: Faith is the key! Managers have to trust their team members and accept giving up some level of control. This is not only true for the manager's side – it’s also the employees who have to be ready to take responsibility. And this can be hard but it is needed to offer a smoothly-functioning remote company.
Tip: Instead of looking at the working hours, check the results – this is what really counts and brings the organization forward!
In a remote environment it’s essential to find the right people. Pretty basic but crucial: The person wants to work remotely! You also want to check that they fit your company’s values. For us it’s important that team members are self-driven, want to be and do their best, are ready to take ownership plus – as telecommuting does not function without it - are highly qualified in virtual communication.
Larger talent pool – choose only the top candidates!
Now we’ve already spoken about what a perfect remote team looks like. The next advantage is: You have a huge talent pool out there! If you’re running a telecommuting organization this gives you the chance to attract and pick the best applicants worldwide without any geographical obstacles. Choose the best candidates, not those who live closest to the office. This of course comes with its own logistical and legal hurdles, but for the best talent, it’s worth it.
And it’s not only choosing the best matches, the benefit here is: High team diversity results in higher creativity, different opinions and more innovation! Working remotely makes it easy to hire people with, for example, different origins, ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses and religious affiliations.
Higher productivity – get the best out of your team!
Contrary to the prejudice that productivity decreases when switching to remote work, we’ve experienced the opposite and there’s a reason why.
Looking at huge, traditional companies: The bosses often control every step their employees take. People need to tag their time, be in the office at 8 am and never leave before 5 pm, have their lunch at 12 and take no longer than 45 minutes but also no less than 30 minutes. These regulations often don’t match the biological rhythm of each team member and it massively affects their productivity.
Create an environment for early birds and night owls
Just take yourself and friends or family for instance: How many of you would love to sleep in a little later to be able to take a long run or have breakfast with your kids before heading to the office? How many would like to do it exactly the other way around: Get up and therefore finish work earlier? I guess you will find early birds as well as night owls - and so do we at team Ofri.
Offering the opportunity to work remotely, loosening the rules and deciding for flexible work hours helps your team to adjust their day so they can do their tasks whenever and wherever they are most productive.
The whole company will benefit
Telecommuting offers freedom, an excellent work-life balance and flexibility – this increases the satisfaction of each team member which also results in higher loyalty, less sick days and therefore better results for the whole company!
Lower fixed costs: Use your money to invest in what’s best for each team member!
Besides the higher productivity and a larger talent pool that comes with remote work there is also an important economic advantage. It lowers the fixed cost immensely! Employers don’t have to rent an office space, offer heating in the winter, air conditioning in summer and free water for the whole company.
Managers can instead invest what they saved to increase employee satisfaction individually. Best case scenario: You have a super happy team, this also lowers the hiring costs you would need to pay in an environment with lower staff retention. So, you see: It’s a win-win-win situation - go for it!
Sustainability and social responsibility – keep pace with the times!
Last but not least you’re helping to save our mother earth and acting responsibly. Sustainability is everywhere (and this is excellent)! Offering remote work means that your team isn’t driving to the office every morning and back home in the evening, it also saves resources for offices that, for example,can be used as flats for families instead.
Be a pioneer for equality
For lots of employers telecommuting means a good work-life balance. For others it’s the chance to participate: People with disabilities or chronic illnesses often have no chance in the conventional labor market (and fundamentally that needs to change!) – a remote job offers more flexibility and the possibility to work from their home where they can set up as needed. With a remote company you can contribute to equal chances for everybody!
Let all the talented people out there come to you
Managers will ask themselves now: And how is this a market advantage? I’ll tell you: Lots of people are actively looking for a company and a team that is acting responsibly – as a remote organization you will offer exactly that and people are going to want to work for you!
Become a remote-first company and claim all its advantages!
When we read articles about remote work the benefits are often more focused on the advantages for employees than on the advantages for employers. A larger, worldwide talent pool, lower fixed costs, higher employee satisfaction and, therefore, increased productivity are the main market advantages of remote companies. Besides these you contribute to saving the environment and acting socially responsible - what else could you wish for as an employer?
