Benefits of Remote Work Environments
This past year there has been an uptick in return to office announcements ranging from mandated 5 days a week to hybrid models being introduced. This has triggered negative responses in the job market causing some individuals to update their resumes in search of opportunities with guaranteed remote or flexible work environments.
Companies who announced these changes argue that a return to office will positively affect company culture, employee satisfaction, and productivity. Remote employees disagree, seeing it as micromanagement and an inconvenience that impedes on their productivity and work life balance with increased commute times and office distractions.
What started as a temporary response to Covid-19 in 2020 now has become an expectation. Employees who have been working remote or with flexible in-office polices have come to see it as the new standard and are meeting these changes with great resistance. If you’re unsure about whether to change your work from home policies consider these benefits to remote work:
Widen your talent pool. Don’t let location dictate your hiring. Having a remote work policy gives you access to talent all across the country, or even internationally, so you don’t miss out on the right person for the job.
Healthier, happier employees. Working from home or an environment of their choice allows employees to create a work space free of traditional work stressors. It doesn’t require a considerable commute or the potential of being stuck in traffic trying to get home after a long day. Their office space can be personalized to include small adjustments that lead to increased productivity and comfort.
Efficiency. A personalized office space also means less distractions allowing employees to focus. A workspace in a traditional office is prone to interruptions from people stopping by your desk to background noise filled with chatter on office politics. This increase in focus and decrease in opportunities for distraction has a positive effect on performance allowing people to complete tasks faster.
Time Management. Commuting just a few steps to their home office space allows employees to use that extra time (the average is a 49.2 minute round trip in 2024 according to Statistics Canada) for focused work or personal activities that increase overall time management and satisfaction. For the opportunities that allow flexible hours, employees are able to structure their day according to their peak productivity hours. Not everyone finds 9am to 5pm to be the best times for deep focus work.
Scalability. Small businesses looking to scale find that having a remote work policy allows them to spend the money they would have otherwise spent on office space and utilities on new hires that will help them grow their business. As a company increases their employee count larger spaces are needed that incur greater costs to the company especially during times where commercial real estate is high. Remote work also allows companies to pivot in times of crisis whether it be a future pandemic, natural disasters, or real estate availability.
Lower employee turnover. As seen by the negative response to these return to office mandates, employees that are unhappy with this change are looking elsewhere for new opportunities that provide them with the flexibility and balance they have come to value in remote work. Working from home has empowered employees and given them autonomy to dictate their days, creating an environment that allows them to get the most out of their days professionally and personally increasing their overall satisfaction and well being.
The benefits of flexible and remote work are undeniable. The workforce had to evolve and adapt over the pandemic. They are focused on the future and are not interested in looking backwards to old systems and policies that no longer serve them. As remote work continues to be seen as the standard, companies should consider the long-term advantages of offering flexible work arrangements to retain top talent and create work environments that foster long lasting employment.
