Whether working from home, a coffee shop, a coworking space or the beach, tech gives the modern workforce more freedom with the ability to connect to the office from virtually anywhere in the world. From reducing costs to increased retention, there are several benefits to the remote working trend, whether it’s a temporary or a long-term part of your business strategy.
The Rise of Remote Work
2020 stats show the number of people working from home has grown by 140% since 2005, and telecommuting has increased by 115% in the past 10 years. Globally, 8% of employees work remotely on a full-time basis, while 52% work from home at least once a week. The trend looks set to continue – Upwork predicts that 73% of all departments will have remote workers by 2028, with more companies seeing the benefits of flexible commercial property options and remote working trends.
John Williams, Head of Marketing at The Instant Group, says “The uncertainty of the next few weeks will certainly see an increase in remote working, and as we have seen from our offices in Asia-Pacific, business goes on and work can be effectively carried out. Increased flexibility benefits businesses and employees, and top talent has already sought out organisations that encourage and support teams working from home, coworking spaces or coffee shops. There’s plenty of data to back up the benefits of working remotely so work will continue even with the challenges ahead. With planning, open lines of communication and the right tech, there’s no reason why companies can’t run successful remote teams for short periods or even integrate more into their future approach on a permanent basis.”
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 75% of people say working remotely means fewer distractions.
- 86% say it reduces stress.
- 76% would be more willing to stay in their current job if offered more flexibility.
- 21% would give up some of their vacation time in exchange for flexible working options.
- Companies that allow remote work have 25% lower staff turnover than companies that don’t.
The growth of this trend has been fuelled by virtual offices and technology, including the rapid increase of mobile tech, communication and project management platforms. The rapid growth of Wi-Fi hotspots is likely to hit 432.5 million globally this year, and there will be 1.2 billion 5G connections globally by 2025, covering one-third of the world’s population.
Benefits of More Flexibility
Around 54% of UK workers currently have the option to work remotely, and 22% of Brits have quit a job to find one with better flexibility – that equals 7 million UK workers!
There are numerous benefits to remote working for both the employee and the employer. Forbes recently published some compelling statistics from the world’s top researchers, which highlight the following advantage:
- Productivity – Remote workers are around 35-40% more productive, with increased output of at least 4.4%.
- Performance – Location-independent workers produce work with 40% fewer quality issues.
- Engagement – Remote workers have a 41% lower absenteeism rate.
- Retention – 54% of workers say they would leave their jobs in favour of a position with more flexible hours.
- Profitability – Employers can save an average of $11,000 annually for every part-time remote worker.
Secrets for Successful Communication with Remote Teams
For many workers, increased connectivity in personal and work lives has made the transition to remote working a relatively easy one. Faster and more reliable Wi-Fi, access to cloud systems and team collaboration tools mean ‘the office’ can be just about anywhere. By streamlining your work processes in this way, your team can be more professional, productive and efficient in the long run.
Along with the benefits, there are some challenges to managing remote teams:
- Communication: Getting teams in different locations to work together for a common goal can be tricky. That said, the Internet has provided many powerful tools to drive communication and collaboration in the modern workplace.
- Hiring the right people: Recruiting the right people is crucial. Not everyone can work effectively in a remote location. Therefore, you must find people who can demonstrate their ability to manage time, handle their workload and deliver results.
- Keeping track of activities, goals and productivity: In remote settings, employees must know how to manage themselves and often wear different hats. It is therefore essential to ensure team members are aware of the company’s short and long-term goals.
Growing Company Culture
Generally, co-located teams have an easier time building a company culture than remote teams. That said, here are some things business owners can do to create a positive company culture with a remote team:
- Choose tools that match your culture: Because all communication and collaboration will be done using online tools, it is essential to choose apps and software that match the culture you are trying to create. If you want to create a fun, laid-back environment, choose tools that match this atmosphere. You also want to make it as easy as possible for your remote team to stay up-to-date. Be it via video conferencing tools, chat apps, or the comments section of your project management tool, you need to offer various ways to keep in touch.
- Team building: Team building does wonders to foster communication, especially among remote workers who do not see each other daily. Where possible, create an ‘office social life’ by planning regular meetups, lunches, and team building activities to boost team morale.
- Recognition: Public recognition for a job well done is one of the most effective and most natural ways to motivate a remote team. Shout outs in a team chat, during meetings or any other way, will not only boost morale and motivation but set a standard for other team members to strive for.
Five Tips to Work From Home Easily
- Stick to a schedule: routines do eventually change when working from home, but sticking to the same schedule as a regular office day is a good way to ease into it.
- Keep in touch with the team: whether through a morning catch up or a group chat, keep communication flowing to avoid feelings of isolation.
- Set regular breaks: take lunch, move about and have frequent breaks.
- Start and end the workday: it’s easy to keep working overtime when at home, but to maintain work-life balance, it’s crucial to be able to switch off.
- Choose the best work area: set up in an area of the home that’s comfortable, quiet, and set up for productivity.
Tools to Help Remote Teams Thrive
- Slack – a popular web and desktop chat tool.
- Skype – global audio and video platform.
- Google Hangouts – Google’s chat platform.
- HomeSlice – a time zone viewer.
- Wrike – one of the leading cloud-based solutions for collaborative work management.
- Trello – an online visual planning and collaboration tool for virtual workgroups.
- Asana – An online management tool to quickly capture tasks, to-dos, reminders, and ideas.
- Zoom – audio and video and online meetings made easy.
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