Remote vs. Office: The Future of Work and the Battle for Productivity

2024 is coming to an end, 2025 will grow a lot of companies and individuals. What will this bring in the challenges of work as an employee? As an employer? The big challenge i see and experienced is Remote Working in a lot of companies.

As of today i run 2 international companies and have a stable background in working for employers and freelance. Since the corona outbreak i was one of the lucky people that could keep working for my employer. Even when it was from home day after day, i saw benefits and drawbacks on that part. But in general, what i experienced was very positive.

What do i prefer and why??

Straight to the point, Remote Work. 100% i would even consider a lower payment to have a remote position with the same hours. I know, this statement sounds very hard on that subject but what is more important? Being healthy and having a healthy mindset? Or earning more with a burn-out without enjoyment? Well, here is my vision and the benefits and drawbacks of Remote vs. Office:

First of all, having the flexibility for working from home improved my social and private life with a big jump. It also improved my Work-Life balance, which reduced my stress. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but less stress improves the general mood of the employees and the workplace.

In the case of seeing this as an employer, i saw multiple times with a lot of contractors, employees and partnerships, that the option to work remotely (if applicable for the job) improves the productivity of the workforce. The results i saw first handed is the work that normally takes 5 days is mostly done in 4 working days.

That really sounds impressive, it even impressed me when i realized the opportunities in this. It can boost the productivity and the companies revenue by 10% to 30% in a year. Depending on how it is executed and received.

What also is felt and experienced with remote work is that there is also a better flexibility by the owners and team leaders of the company. Since there is already the trust and faith in their employees to work remotely, employees feel less scared to ask if they can go to appointments without feeling punished for it.

When working in the office, in a lot of times, you need to work those hours before you go, or you need to take a day off, or any other rule set. Which, i am not denying, is a good thing.

Working remotely implements also some flexibility for this which doesn't seem like being punished. In fact, this could be a very great benefit.

The traffic can also be a big stress point and specially the travel time to work that employees have to do 2 times in a day. The benefit for the employee here is big, less time wastes, feeling like they earn more, better sleep, etc,...

Feeling like earning more? Yes, they still get paid the same salary every month, but they don't spend x-amount of time stuck in traffic, and since they don't need to drive, they don't need to fill up the gas that much. Less going for maintenance. It is huge for the people working remotely to see that.

Is that all? No, ofcourse not. those are just my own experiences. There are also a lot of benefits for employers. How so? Well, working remotely can attract more qualified people that don't live in the country.

Some people that are more skilled or have better core knowledge are in the bigger cities or more highly developed countries. Not always, but as an employer, Having a world wide choice of candidates. Each with their own unique talents and education, gives a lot of benefits in growing and being stable. It also allows to let your company "work" 24/7. This can improve customer support, faster deadlines, easier adaptation in fields and growing international.

Having remote workers in other countries can improve the general knowledge in the company, since they are working in another part of the world. They can discover newer techniques and technologies faster. Setting the company as one of the first to implement it and future proving operations.

Even local people working remotely don't need to be everyday. Going once or twice in a week tot he office is also a very huge improvement for people. They are more engaging and more social with co workers, feeling more happy and respected.

Establishing better connections when working remotely is the last one i can think about. Since you have more time, you can grow communications and new partnerships much more easy. To keep the team together, doing team buildings now and then also improves a lot on the job and mental health.

Remote workers have very good benefits, but let's be real. Is it only benefits? No, they are some downsides. And oh boy, they can be a very crucial turning point.

Lets be destructive and annihilate the benefits?

We have to be real ofcourse and state all the things with this subject.

Working in the office is better for the employer. 100%, Investing in hardware is a big thing. The cost a company has to do for remote work can skyrocket depending on the work.

First of all, do the employees have stable internet? Without a stable internet connection it is almost not realistic to work remotely. Most people have a basic or a bit better internet, and what is happening with all the data? Ruining their subscription. They go to the employer for having better internet and there we have it. The employer has to pay or pay a part of their internet. Which is, in my vision, not a bad thing. But, also if 1 employee has it, you need to give it to everyone.

But that seem like a small cost compared to the hardware. Imagine all the laptops with performance in some jobs? They can cost quickly up to 3.000 to 5.000 usd. And that for every employee? They better make a return for that.

How about setting the security and how to check if they really do the work?

Personally, are we still measuring the work in hours? We humans can deliver on time with quality. maybe not within the hours they set for working. We should base it in this case on deadline. Setting deadlines gives a bit freedom and with he results needed.

Security... What if they lose the laptop? What if they break it, or accidentally falls due children playing? Who is responsible for it. It can cost the company a lot in upgrades, material, system administrators, firewalls, ...

How about the reaching the employees? What if you need them and they don't pick up? Are we gonna punish them for not being behind the laptop? We can use the bathroom right? Like we do at work?

This example is not about security, it is about trust and a toxic workplace. You hire humans for knowledge and you trust them inside your company. Their knowledge doesn't change.

My conclusion and personal verdict?

Remote work is beneficial for companies and employees. Even if the cost is high for an employer, if you truly trust the employee (unless proven), the cost is worth it to invest in it. With the right balance, it can be so much better for all.

I understand that not all functions and not all employees can have this benefit, but there is the right balance and having good improvising and solutions the part of the employer.

For employees that can work remotely and have long term positions, i would see if it is possible. This applies to contracts without a ending date. They can make you the profit back on working 5 days remotely.

Question Time:

Do you agree?

What is your vision?

How would you handle it?

Would you like to have a debate about it with employees and employers?

Do you want to implement it but don't know how? (Comment "Remote", and i will help you)