Do employees at your company work remotely from time to time? At Clear Books, we have a relaxed attitude to colleagues working from home if they need to — not only because it’s a nice perk for employees and contractors, but because having a remote working arrangement can also be really great for your business. If you’ve never thought about it before, consider this:
1. People can be more productive when they work from home. It may sound counterintuitive, but studies show that people do tend to be more productive when they work from home — in one study, businesses saw employee productivity rise by 22% after starting a remote working programme.
2. It can save your company money. It’s easy to forget about all the little things that you have to spend money on just by virtue of having people in the building. Desk space, kitchen supplies, even things like soap and toilet roll all have to be figured into your budget, but not when your staff works from home.
3. It makes your staff much happier … and more helpful. Being able to work remotely is one of the most desired employment perks, so allowing it can make your employees much happier, which in turn makes them much more productive. Employees who work from home also tend to be more helpful, volunteering to help out their coworkers more than in a traditional work setting.
4. The business and technology world makes it easier than ever. There’s so much great technology and software now developed specifically to help keep employees in touch and productive when they work from home. From communication platforms like Basecamp and Slack to our own cloud Accounting, Payroll and HR software, there’s so many great products; it’s never been easier to have people working in different locations.
5. People aren’t forced to choose between work and family. In a traditional work setting, there are all kinds of conflicts between focusing on work or focusing on family, and family often wins out, leading to people having to leave work early or even absenteeism. Letting people work from home largely solves this problem, with studies showing that people are able to keep the boundaries between “work time” and “family time” just fine, even when working at home.
Do you work from home, or have staff that do? Tell us about it in the comments below!
