Top 5 Benefits of Letting Employees Work Remote

During COVID-19, some companies had little choice but to embrace remote work. Stay-at-home orders meant many Coloradans couldn’t report to workplaces even if they and their employer wanted to, making telecommuting the only option for many.

However, even as restrictions lifted, that doesn’t mean abandoning remote work is a great move. Telecommuting provides a slew of benefits, and that shouldn’t be ignored.

If you are wondering what gains your company can experience by letting employees work remotely, here’s what you need to know.

1. Save That Green (Money, That Is)

Alright, let’s talk about the bottom line. When you let employees work remotely, you can actually save your company quite a bit of cash. You can operate out of a smaller building, potentially reducing your rent or mortgage payment, property taxes, and utility costs. But the savings opportunities don’t stop there.

Do you pay for professional cleaning services? Well, if you move into a smaller building, that expense drops. Do you give employees access to free coffee or healthy snacks? There’s another line item that will shrink. And the list goes on, from parking expenses to office supplies. When all of these hard costs go down, your bottom line goes up.

In some cases, it can even lower your technology costs. You can reduce the number of phones and phone lines you have to maintain. Your need for data connections will also drop.

Looking for some hard numbers, here’s a good one. Employers can save more than $11,000 per half-time remote worker per year. And that’s just with half-time. Go full-time, and your savings potential can go up even further.

2. Be Greener

It’s no secret that mountain professionals tend to adore the outdoors. The landscape is what makes living in the region so amazing. That, and the whole mess of fun outdoorsy activities.

That’s why some professionals favor companies that “go green.” And, did you know that letting employees work remotely can help your company become greener?

When employees can work from home, it does have a positive impact on the environment. First, you take vehicles off the road by eliminating those daily commutes. That alone can be a big deal in the fight against climate change.

But the benefits don’t stop there. If you reduce the number of staff members who have to report to the workplace each day, you can operate out of a smaller facility. When you shrink your office, it takes less to keep the space running. You won’t have to heat or cool the larger area, or run as many lights and electronics. That shrinks your carbon footprint, and can save you money on utility bills.

Plus, when you transition to working remotely, paperwork tends to go digital. You’ll reduce your printing needs dramatically, which could help save the trees.

Overall, remote work can have a benefit on the environment. Not only is this good for mother earth, but it can also make you a more attractive employer.

3. Say Hello to Productivity

Many companies have heard that letting employees work from home boosts productivity, but a surprising number remain skeptical. The trick is that, among workers who telecommute at least a few times every month, professionals report being 77 percent more productive when working remotely. That’s a big number.

Plus, telecommuting arrangements can reduce absenteeism, creating another productivity boost. Your employees don’t have to come to an office, so they may be able to work when they feel a tad bit under the weather. Overall, remote employees work five to seven hours more each week than their in-office counterparts, even if they are ill.

Additionally, 45 percent or telecommuters get more sleep, 44 percent have a more positive attitude, and 53 percent report less stress. Together, that can lead to a healthier workforce, potentially reducing illness rates.

4. Long Live Loyalty

Did you know that you can reduce turnover by letting your employees work remotely? It’s true.

When employees can telecommute, various aspects of their lives tend to improve, and not just when it comes to productivity. Remote work gives them a sense of autonomy, giving them a degree of ownership over their tasks. This makes their work more satisfying.

Plus, employees typically have an easier time achieving work-life balance. Think about it; the average commuter spends 225 hours on the road just getting to and from work. That’s more than nine calendar days. When you work from home, that obligation disappears, giving you more time to handle your work and family obligations. And that’s just one example of how remote work helps in this area.

By letting employees work from home, you’re improving their lives. Why would they want to give that up? They wouldn’t. This makes them more likely to stay with their employers, reducing turnover, breeding a sense of loyalty, and, potentially, turning your company into an employer of choice.

5. No More Recruitment Woes

Even when unemployment rates rose during COVID-19, that didn’t mean recruitment was miraculously easy. Finding in-demand skills is, and will remain, challenging. It’s simply a matter of supply and demand.

But, when you make working remotely an option, you can reduce your recruitment woes. As mentioned above, you can establish yourself as an employer of choice, increasing overall interest.

Plus, you can dramatically broaden your talent pool. If a position is a full-time work-from-home job, you can look anywhere in the country for candidates. That’s a boon.

How to Embrace Remote Work Arrangements

Yes, remote work arrangements are new to many companies. Even if telecommuting became a norm during COVID-19, many businesses had to make those changes quickly, and hiccups were common. But that doesn’t mean you have to abandon the idea.

Worst case, consider maintaining work-from-home options on at least a part-time basis. It’s a great way to create some middle ground and could make social distancing easier to manage at your workplace. Then, examine productivity KPIs and financial data that helps you see how remote work is benefiting your company and employees specifically. That may be enough to put your mind at ease right there.

Want more information? Well, you’re in luck. Just visit us at TrendsWithBenefits.org. We’ve got a ton of resources available, allowing you to make the switch to a remote workforce fearlessly.

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If you’re asking yourself, “Why is Walking Mountains talking about remote work?”

The answer is quite simple: we aim to reduce local carbon emissions by 50% by 20305. Telecommuting, compressed workweeks, and other flexible schedule options can reduce you and your business’s carbon footprint. With less commuters on the road, we can improve our communities’ air quality and put ourselves one step closer to achieving our carbon reduction goals. Drive less to do more for Mother Nature.