The remote working culture was already gaining ground prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, and once social distancing measures became implemented, this remote working culture became the norm for anyone who could do their job from home! For many people who are self-employed, this working from home lifestyle is not unusual. However, for many others who were used to working from an office environment, they needed to adapt to this new way of life.
As offices begin to reopen, some businesses and employers are offering their staff the option to remain working from home, as businesses have realized the multitude of benefits that a remote working culture can offer. Here are five different ways that a remote working culture is beneficial for businesses, which may even convince you to switch to a remote working lifestyle.
Flexibility and Better Wellbeing
Importantly, a remote working culture can allow your employees to take better care of themselves, by being able to prepare healthy meals at home and exercise before, in-between or after working hours. This will help to keep them both physically and mentally well, which is an important way to keep your team happy, healthy and thus more likely to enjoy their working life.
Employees with other commitments such as families, elderly parents and hobbies are able to manage their workload alongside their other demands in life. This has not always been possible when working from an office, as the standard 9-5 working hours have limited employees into rigid schedules without any ability to adapt their working practices with their own life. With remote working, an employee can arrange their own schedule, and as long as they meet their targets, tasks and projects on time, there is no downside for the business. In fact, allowing an employee more flexibility in their lifestyle can actually increase their productivity levels as they feel a sense of greater job satisfaction, knowing that they do not need to stress about the life demands that they will need to deal with after a long day at work.
Furthermore, being able to work from home and away from the office means that an employee is going to feel respected by being trusted with their own ability to be organized and disciplined. This will again boost an employee’s loyalty and engagement with the business. Such personal investment is good news for a company’s productivity levels.
More Time and More Responsibility
Unsurprisingly, office culture can actually encourage employees to waste time unintentionally, with a morning commute from home to work, meetings that could be summarized in an email, and stagnant work flows as a result of an unstimulating environment. Instead of wasting time unnecessarily on the train to work, an employee can wake up without rushing out the door and start working much earlier than they would in the office. This earlier start could mean that they complete a task quicker, which allows another employee to continue working on a project that they had paused in order for that task to get completed. Such a chain reaction of productivity and quicker task completion could speed up projects for the business and allow the business to take on more work to meet their targets for the month. In addition, employees can be given greater responsibility for tasks and projects which will further streamline any working practices to save time. This responsibility will also offer employees more opportunities to gain experience, exposure and the potential to receive promotions by being given the chance to showcase their capabilities.
Transparency
In a remote working environment, employees need to be more direct, succinct and clear in their communications via e-mail, video calls and requests. Without the human contact and face-to-face communication, there is no more awkwardness or shying away from being assertive when you really need to be, because working remotely can offer an employee greater confidence in their work. People are able to get on with their work without the dreaded small talk and can cut straight to the point when appropriate. This is not to say that a remote team will lack comradery or be less friendly towards each other, but there will be a time and a place for this at socials.
Working from home means that you are committed to work, and you do not waste time that you know you can spend getting on with your life beyond work, whereas an office environment encourages employees to socialize perhaps more than they need to, but feel obligated to. This serves to benefit the team dynamic too, as a remote working culture away from the office means that there is no longer a sense of hierarchy between associates, supervisors, partners and business owners. Without this hierarchy, there is the potential that there will be greater communication across the board, and ideas can be exchanged more freely.
Simplified Processes
Without the rigid office structure, remote working can permit certain tasks and administration duties to be outsourced online. This frees up employees to focus on what matters for the business, instead of wasting time on general tasks that they would rather not have to do. For example, using New Horizons, these global payroll services can free up the HR manager to concentrate on any issues that employees are facing, and to respond to these problems quicker than they would have been able to do if they had other obligations like completing payroll. New Horizons actually takes away the difficulty of providing global payroll services beyond the office environment and allows your business to hire employees in multiple countries without any currency, foreign transfer or language barriers. This also means that you are not restricted, and you don’t have to rely on your own existing technology, software and talent capabilities.
Availability and Resources
A remote working culture can open up a multitude of opportunities to hire talent across the globe, allowing a business to gain better insights and ideas from the most talented individuals without being limited to the employer’s own country. A lack of office environment means that relocation and travel is no longer necessary for employment, which can again save your company time and money. In addition, no office means that your business will not incur any charges for rent, maintenance, upkeep and security. While an employer will still need to ensure that each employee has the right resources and technology for their job, there will not be the added charges of upkeeping an office too.
Not only does a remote working culture mean that your employees are given a better work-life balance and ensuring that they feel happier being able to have their downtime away from work, but business owners benefit too by saving money and increasing productivity levels which will both help to drive profits for the business. There are still many ways that you can ensure your team are still motivated outside of the office and opportunities to encourage the employees to communicate, socialize and connect with one another – even when you are not face-to-face. This will help to make the remote working culture a happy, fulfilling and productive space for the business and its employees. With these benefits in mind, start looking at ways that you can adjust your office life towards a much more liberating one by working remotely.
