Is `Remote` Right for Your Company? Why Work Flexibility Makes Both Dollars and Sense

As a remote worker, I was always uber-conscientious about my performance and attendance. Additionally, since my employers didn't have to rent office and meeting space for me and my associates, they saved significant time and money on rent. Furthermore I was able to avoid commuting -- giving me back 500 days in my life (yes, seriously!) -- and I was also able to steer clear of office politics and the inevitable distractions that come with an office environment, which only added to my productivity. Since I started my day earlier, worked later and took fewer breaks, I worked more hours which made my employer happy. And due to smart technology, communications and sharing information between our team members was streamlined -- instant and asynchronous -- which meant everyone was always on the same page and could respond when it worked best for them, saving even more time. Our meetings were more efficient, planned better and more apt to stay on-message. As a result of all these factors combined, plus the fact that remote employees can work from anywhere, maintain a much better work-life balance and get to spend more time with their families, work-from-home employees are generally happier, healthier and tend to be more productive.

Benefits of remote

The biggest remote working advantages for enterprise employers all revolve around employee well-being and retention, daily operations, and revenue. In fact with very few exceptions, nearly every organizaton that has "gone remote" has found that productivity increased by as much as 50% and that turnover decreased by 50%. Being happy and satisfied, telecommuters accomplish more and feel a greater sense of loyalty to their employer.

Aside from the benefits that come with a happy and loyal workforce, companies have used remote workers to reduce operating expenses, recruit better talent and increase profits. In other words, remote employees can help companies compete and succeed in the marketplace.

When you get your employees off the road during the daily commute, you instantly build eco-friendly credentials that can give your brand a marketing boost. Also, your company can produce more as expenses decline, resulting in increased profitability.

Why Remote? Why not?

Despite all the benefits, only 10% of employers have deployed fully remote teams, but by some estimates 40 to 50 million workers enjoy some form of work flexibility with their jobs, meaning remote work has shown to be beneficial for a good many businesses.

So what's holding some companies back? The main reasons employers don't offer WFH/remote as an option include a loss in productivity, loss of control over workforce, inability to envision that work can be accomplished remotely, and the fear that it will take a huge investment in technology. Fortunately all of these are misconceptions that can be easily overcome.

It's a fact that businesses lose $600 billion every year just due to workplace distractions. And if a loss of control or not being seen as a real leader is the fear, ensuring that employee goal setting and performance measurement are part of your company's remote-work policy should help to assuage this, along with the fact that knowing remote employees report feeling 75% more loyal towards to their companies than traditional/onsite employees, and that loyalty leads to greater productivity, happiness and health.

Remote employees also tend to work longer and harder than their in-office counterparts, and their work is generally more efficient and effective which typically leads to better financial results for the company, up to 30% greater returns have been reported. And happier employees make for happier customers. Customer complaints for companies that have distributed teams are much lower than their traditional-workplace counterparts; in fact, one such company, Alpine Access, reported a 90% decrease in complaints after they went remote. Furthermore because they're not taking up office space or spending time commuting, telecommuters also save their employers loads of money and time. 60% of employers report cost savings on on things like office space and relocations, as a significant benefit to their remote workforce; IBM saved $50 million on rent alone.

I could go on and on because there are countless examples of remote-work success stories, with powerful statistics to back them up. If your company is still holding out for one of the reasons outlined above, or if your business is just starting its remote-work journey -- or is ready to scale it -- then there are plenty of good reasons to take action now, and even more motivation? There are tons of resources -- more than ever before -- available to get you where you want to be, and many of them are free or very low-cost.

In short, having a remote workforce needn't be a scary thing. To the contrary, telecommuting can free you up, along with freeing up a lot of time and other resources and provide you with more flexibility which, as we all know, is key to being agile in today's fast-changing world. This agility -- the ability to pivot quickly by "going remote"-- makes you dollars, and it also just makes a lot of sense ... for everyone.

Guin White has been "remote" in some form or fashion for over ten years and is a leader in the work-from-home experience. She explains, "As a result of telecommuting and by avoiding workplace distractions, I am at least 25% more productive than my onsite counterparts. I have played an essential role in organizing virtual meetings and making them efficient both as a remote-work consultant and when I worked for employers who deployed remote teams like mine." Guin can help with any aspect of your remote deployment, whether its planning a meeting, event or conference, outlining a remote-work policy that works, or finding the right solution to enable you and employees to successfully work from anywhere.