Many organizations have taken a while to come around to the idea of allowing their employees to work from home. After all, how could they be sure employees were staying just as productive at home as they were in the office? Since working through those hesitations, more and more companies are coming around to the idea. In fact, so far only 56% of managers permit their employees to work remotely. However, according to Gartner, the demand for remote work will increase by 30% by 2030 due to Gen Z fully entering the workforce. Whether you find yourself working from home by choice, or not, it certainly has its benefits. Here are a few to consider.
No Commute, No Stress
When you’re telecommuting, you can log on from wherever you are. The commute can add hours of stress to your week, costing you time and money. And from an organizational standpoint, added stress from tough commutes can bring down the quality of work. Without hustling through busy city streets, struggling to find a seat on public transportation, or sitting in frustrating traffic, you’ll realize how refreshing it is to wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head to your laptop.
Plus, a commute can impact where you and your employees choose to live. According to a report from Zillow, 30 percent of home buyers stated a 15 to 29-minute commute was their absolute maximum. If your commute is starting to take a toll on you, weaving in a few remote days here and there could make a world of difference. And if you’re looking to hire or boost retention, this level of flexibility could give you a huge leg up.
Talent is Limitless
Ever find the perfect candidate for the job, and then realize they live across the country? With telecommuting, you don’t have to sacrifice the best choice for the role just because of proximity. Now, you can hire whoever is most fit and they can log on along with the rest of the team. This means you’re not settling for anything but the best, and that person is taking on a job they’re truly good at without picking up and moving their life.
Downsizing Your Office Space
Is the rent on your brick and mortar office location creeping up? Consider how much you could save if you downsized. By allowing more employees to work from home, organizations would need less space to accommodate a full house.
This would be especially ideal for those in pricey city locations, or those simply just looking to shrink their company’s carbon footprint. In fact, FlexJobs reports that the existing telecommute workforce reduces greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of taking 600,000 cars of the road for an entire year.
Flexible Hours
Working from home opens the door for major flexibility. Though it’s ideal for employees to be working on the same or close to the same schedule, sometimes that can’t always be the case. Whether you’re hiring someone from a different time zone, or you have employees who prefer to break up their days differently, having flexibility hours is a major benefit. Easing up on the rigid 40-hour work week alleviates stress, promotes better work-life balance, and increases productivity.