I am looking forward to the weekend and I wonder why because since I run my own business the weekend is not different from the weekday. I am always working mentally even if not physically. This is because I am always thinking of how to improve my client’s experience. My clients are not just those who pay me but also those I pay a salary.
Today, I will bring to you a way to improve your employee experience by way of remote work. Remote work is when the employee works from home and does not resume in a physical office but still work the usual hours. This can be complete or partial working from home every day of the week or just a few days a week. The way you manage remote workers is key to the success of this option of working.
The way you manage a remote workforce will have long-term implications for your business and its growth potential. A poor job at this may mean morale and productivity will suffer. Managing this well can build loyalty and boost engagement. Before we look at how to manage this. We will also look at the importance and advantages of remote work.
First, let us see the importance of allowing remote work. Many companies in our environment resist the idea of allowing employees remote work, presumably afraid that employees would spend their time running their side hustle, visiting friends, or even just watching television. They think collaboration would fall to the wayside and productivity would decline.
Many of those concerns have turned out to be unfounded, at least several months into the large shift to remote work spurred by COVID-19, productivity has remained the same or increased since employees began working remotely.
Abroad, remote work used to be considered a perk, but the pandemic has made it a requirement. We need to join the bandwagon now. Let us look at some of the many benefits of remote work for both business owners and employees:
Remote work can enable lower expenses because they save money on the overhead associated with having a physical office. For example, there are no expenses for rent, equipment, furniture, office supplies and utilities. Higher employee productivity, lower environmental impact, better employee branding, lower turnover, it all translates to lower cost.
When employees do not spend hours commuting to work and have less office politics to deal with, they tend to be happier and more productive. This means they are not distracted and therefore more engaged. We are all great students, and we know by now that engaged employees impact the bottom line positively.
Read also: The new normal: Adopting remote work structure
To replace employees who leave can be expensive, both in terms of the costs to hire a replacement and lost productivity. Remote work enhances work which means employees stay with firms longer. That can save companies a lot of money. Besides saving money. Low turnover also enhances the brand of the organisation because it is one of the parameters of the best places to work. Low turnover also helps continuity and teamwork.
Hiring can be a big challenge for business owners, especially when your pool of potential candidates is limited by your location and hours of operation. Remote work removes some of those limitations, so business owners have a wider pool of candidates to consider.
Also, many younger people are not willing to sacrifice life for work. They look to companies that enable them to integrate the two. This has honestly become the viewpoint since the pandemic when many saw it was possible.
There are many benefits for the employee, and this will make them so switched on. They will be at home with their families and their mental health will be much improved as they are there to raise their children. These are even the more nebulous benefits.
Many people dread their commute because of the traffic. More hate the risk of illness from public transportation. Either way, most employees don’t like commuting. Clearly remote work cuts out commute completely or at worst, reduces commute.
When employees work from home, they often have more freedom to work how they want to. Sure, there are online meetings to attend, but in large part, there is flexibility in how and when employees get work done. The fact that has come out is that employees seemed to work even more from home.
Health is top of mind right now; it’s the reason remote work became so common. Remote workers don’t have to get on crowded buses or trains, or interact with others in lobbies, lifts, and offices. When employees are at home, they avoid the risk of being exposed to various ailments. We have already touched on the effects of mental health.
Next week we will continue with the disadvantages of remote work and finally discuss how best to facilitate the success of remote working.
We have already started September 2022. Am I the only one surprised? This year has flown by. Still thank God it is Friday.
