It is not an insignificant amount of time, 26 minutes. However, that is precisely the average one-way work commute for Americans. When you start to stack that up day after day and week after week, it becomes a truly staggering amount of time. It can also become a significant drain on resources for those workers, both in the form of expenses such as car insurance and gas, but also simply because it takes so much time out of their day. Most jobs do not compensate for those commutes, and it is hardly any wonder that many workers are wanting to work from home.
This is just one of the many reasons why many employees greatly prefer working remotely. In fact, Neat.no reported on a Quantum Workplace study that found the following:
With so many employees globally preferring to work remotely, this style of work is one that a vast number of people and businesses are embracing. According to a study by Quantum Workplace, 32% of employees prefer to work entirely remotely, 41% prefer a hybrid work setup, and just 27% want to work full-time on-site.
The study found that more than half of employees already working remotely would rather quit their job entirely than return to working in the office full-time.
With all of this said, it is clear where workers tend to stand on the remote work vs. in-office work debate, but there are pros and cons to remote work. Let’s take some time to explore all sides of remote work to help you make the most informed decisions possible.
Advantages of Remote Work
It’s best to start by looking at the positives of remote work. Clearly, many employees prefer to work remotely, so it makes sense to first look at how this can benefit them and the companies that they work for.
Work-Life Balance & Flexibility
Who says that work must be conducted between the hours of 9am and 5pm? Remote work allows for far greater flexibility than what was offered by the rigid schedules of the past. It also promotes greater work-life balance for employees, benefiting both the employees themselves and their employers.
Employees who have a greater sense of work-life balance tend to have less stress and take fewer sick days as a result, according to Mental Health America. Thus, it makes sense that employers should encourage their employees to try to find that balance. A few things that employees can do to try to have better results in this area include:
- Have a Reasonable List of Priorities for the Day – You aren’t Superman, and it is impossible to get everything done in a single day. Instead, focus on setting a reasonable list of objectives for your day and concentrate on achieving them.
- Take a Break When You Need To – Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean that you should be accessible 24/7/365. Instead, make sure you work in some regular breaks to maintain your mental health and sense of self.
- Unplug From Technology at the End of the Day – Sometimes it is helpful to unplug from the technological devices that so many of us use when the day is over. There is a good chance you have been plugged into those devices for most of your day, so consider giving yourself some space to unplug and enjoy some technology-free time.
These are just some of the ways that remote workers have found to bolster their work-life balance. They are a helpful place to start if you are feeling overwhelmed.
Cost and Time Savings
There is no better way to convince an office manager about the value of a concept than to show them how it all stacks up in terms of dollars and cents. The good news? There are substantial cost savings when it comes to working remotely. Business.com pegs the estimated savings per remote employee to be in the ballpark of $11,000 per year. There are many different sources for those savings, including:
- Security Costs – With fewer employees in the office, the need to purchase as many security devices as an office might otherwise is reduced. Thus, remote employees help keep costs down in this category.
- Office Supplies – Businesses with more than 200 employees spend an average of between $27 and $32 on office supplies per employee per month. This kind of expense adds up quickly and is eliminated for remote employees.
- Rent and Utilities – It may be possible for some businesses to eliminate certain office buildings from their portfolio if they have enough employees switch over to remote work. This downsizing of office space can significantly contribute to cost savings for the business.
These are just some examples of the ways that companies save money when their employees work remotely. These are the types of upsides that have prompted many businesses to move more of their workforce to remote work.
Deeper Talent Pool
Offering remote work opportunities means that a business can tap into a deeper pool of talent than it might have otherwise. After all, they can attract people who might not have wanted to travel to an office. Also, they can draw from a pool of potential employees from all over the globe. This expands their talent pool, allowing them to tap into the various cultural experiences and talents that this group has to offer.
Challenges of Remote Work
As with every choice that a business makes, there are also some drawbacks to offering remote work. It is also important to examine those before choosing to move forward with it. The following are some things that you will want to consider before offering remote work.
Employee Isolation Concerns
Harvard Business Review notes that it is undoubtedly the case that many remote workers face feelings of isolation as they try to get their work done:
Remote work, as many of us know, can be isolating. That isolation often leads to feelings of loneliness, which can cause employees stress and significantly impact their job performance.
These types of concerns should be taken seriously and mitigated whenever possible. Employees who feel isolated from their co-workers might struggle to see how their efforts contribute to the company’s success. Thus, motivation can also be a significant stumbling block for any remote employee.
Monitoring and Security
Monitoring employee productivity is one of the key benefits of having an in-office workforce. However, it is a lot harder to monitor the work that remote employees are doing. This can also lead to security vulnerabilities that wouldn’t necessarily exist within an in-office setting. Check in with remote workers more often than you would with an in-office staff.
How Managers Can Use Time Tracker to Overcome Remote Work Challenges
It is possible to overcome many of the remote work challenges that exist out there simply by using a suite of tools designed to help managers in these situations. Among the primary tools that all managers should use with their remote work staff is Time Tracker. It provides them with the following upsides:
- Flexible Scheduling and Notifications – We have already mentioned that one of the main benefits of remote work is the fact that flexible schedules can be offered. Time Tracker makes it easier to schedule employees during times that work best for them and for the business, all at the same time. All those hours can be easily logged, so employees get credit for all of their time, and their productivity is monitored fairly.
- Mobile Clock-In/Clock Out – Another feature of Time Tracker that benefits many remote workers is the ability to clock in and clock out via a mobile device. This means that all hours can be tracked regardless of where the remote worker happens to be.
- Geofencing – One thing that employers don’t want to have is employees who are logging hours that they aren’t truly working. One way to tell this is if they are not physically within a space where they can reasonably get work done. Geofencing can offer employers the ability to allow clock-in only from a specific geographic area, preventing employees from logging hours in unauthorized locations.
Managers should leverage these tools to overcome some of the challenges of remote work and continue to offer it to their workforce. There are clearly plenty of benefits to doing so, and employers should do all that they can to provide these benefits.
The world of remote work is here to stay, and many employees like it. Although there are some challenges, the benefits far outweigh them, and business managers can utilize tools like Time Tracker to make it a realistic possibility within almost any industry, try it free today.