The use of Remote Workers is not just a trend in this day and age, as organisations around the world are seeing the benefits of tapping into a much wider talent pool through the utilisation of remote workers for all different types of jobs.

There are many benefits of using remote workers and some of these may be a surprise to you but there is a lot of research around this new trend and it’s no surprise that organisations big and small are using this strategy to employ people.

Benefits of Telecommuting your Employees

You can attract a wider pool of candidates from a variety of locations

Given the war for talent and the struggles organisations have finding awesome people this strategy is opening up candidate markets that were once off limits. Many jobs can be done remotely, and once companies get their heads around this they start to see the benefits straight away. This is extremely beneficially for businesses who are located in rural or regional locations or for companies who can attract overseas workers to work for them where once this was very difficult.

People are more productive

There is a lot of research out there to suggest that people who work from home or remotely are much more productive. This is due to having greater flexibility and improved work life balance. A study conducted by Staples Advantage in 2016 determined the following:

·         Millennials feel more motivated when working from home where are Gen Y’s and X’s like to work from an office (something to consider!)

·         Telecommuting and Flex time is a major factor when considering job opportunities & 65% of respondents say having a more flexible schedule could help avoid burnout

·         Telecommuting and Flex time increase job satisfaction and wellness by improving work life balance. 69% of employees indicate they would not be happy if they did not have this perk.

Think about this, productivity for most workers definitely increases without the constant interruptions colleagues can sometimes provide not to mention watercooler chatter and gossip. This is a massive shift in thinking as old school management theory tells us that you need to watch what people are doing to ensure you are getting the most out of them, but all the research now tells us the opposite. At HR Gurus we have many of our employees working remotely and our motto is “let the results do the talking!”. This means, we don’t care where you are as long as you deliver and get results.

People save time as they don’t have to drive to work and it’s better for the environment

Who loves driving to work? Ummmm no one, this is a massive time waster and employees will be able to max out their day with this massive drainer removed. Cutting out the travel time will also allow employees to have more work-life balance, reduce stress and also saves them money! This also reduces their carbon footprint. Cutting out travel will also reduce carbon emissions and home offices are obviously more efficient than a ginormous office building buzzing away draining power.

People are more engaged and in turn loyal

It’s no secret that employees who feel empowered feel more motivated. This is based on the fact that if you trust your employees and give them the autonomy to do their jobs then they will typically rise to the occasion. People who feel like their employer trusts them will feel more connected to their company’s purpose and are more inclined to do a good job.

So, there you have it, there are many benefits of using Remote Workers, our next Blog will explore how you keep them engaged, as this is the next challenge.