10 Biggest Benefits of Telecommuting

Many companies believe that their employees are the only ones who greatly benefit from telecommuting, but this isn’t the case. In fact, allowing staff to work outside of the office can be mutually beneficial. Check out the ten biggest benefits of telecommuting for both employees and businesses.

• A Productive Workforce

Do you think your employees will not work if you allow them to work from home? Well, you could not be more wrong. If anything, your staff may work harder if you allow them to telecommute. Many studies have found remote workers are more productive in comparison to their in-office colleagues, as they will not have to deal with various office distractions, such as chatty employees, endless meetings and ringing telephones. As a result, they can focus more on their tasks, which can increase their productivity, as well as their morale.

• It’s Cheaper

Hiring in-house employees can be expensive. Not only will you have to rent an office space to cater to your staff, but you will also need to buy computer equipment and pay for costly utility bills. There are also a variety of affordable tools to improve efficiency and productivity for remote workers. For example, American Voicemail allows people to work from anywhere, as their phone calls can be picked up by an auto attendant and transferred to a person’s phone. Allowing your staff to work from home can, therefore, save you a substantial amount of money each year, which can help improve your business’s bottom line.

• Hire International Talent

Telecommuting allows businesses to hire anyone in the world. As a result, your company will not be geographically limited to talent. This means you can utilize the knowledge, skills, and experience of a professional halfway across the world, who will work hard every day to help grow your company. So, you can truly find the best possible candidate for a position at your company.

• Improve Work-Life Balance

Many employees can often struggle to maintain a good work-life balance, especially if they have a demanding career. Allowing your staff to work from home can, therefore, provide your employees with a greater work-life balance, so they can pick up their poorly kids from school or attend an urgent doctor’s appointment with ease. The extra flexibility will, therefore, help an employee to care for their personal life, while allowing them to make up the time once they return home, so there is no cost to the company for their unexpected problem.

• Less Employee Turnover

It is important companies strive to retain their talent, as they will be essential to their success in the future. It is believed remote workers are often more loyal and dedicated to companies if they do not have to commute into the office each day. For instance, staff are more likely to stay in a role that allows them to work from home rather than return to an office that forces them to work 9 to 5. So, you can boost morale while decreasing employee turnover. It’s a win-win.

• Around the Clock Productivity

Don’t limit your business to 9 to 5, especially when remote work can provide your organization with around the clock support and productivity. If you hire talent from across the globe, you can trust that employees will be working at different hours in the day, which means you can enjoy business productivity as you sleep. It’s, therefore, the ideal solution for customer service driven organizations.

• An Eco-Friendly Business

Prove to your customers and clients that you are an eco-friendly company by allowing your employees to work from home, or by hiring freelance staff to grow your business. Telecommuting can help your business play its part in reducing climate change, as you will help to either eliminate or reduce daily commutes to the office, which can decrease greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.

What’s more, employees who work from home will also use less electricity and office equipment and will reduce waste. Any business who wants to become more environmentally friendly should, therefore, incorporate telecommuting into its company culture.

• Reduce Employee Absences

Absent employees can often cost a substantial amount of money annually, which can all eat away at a company’s profit margin. Work flexibility can, however, decrease employee absence levels, which can help the business to save money each year. Also, a business will not have to worry about how an office power outage, storm or natural disaster will affect travel or productivity. What’s more, it’s an effective way to care for your staff’s wellbeing, as you can trust bugs will not spread from employee to employee, or that they will not have to experience arduous weather conditions when commuting into work.

• Improve Employee Health

Every employer has a legal and moral responsibility to care for their employees’ health and safety. You might, therefore, be surprised to learn that flexible workers are both emotionally and physically healthier. One study of 19,000 employees at nine organizations found that burnout and stress were much lower among staff who had greater flexibility at work. It is believed to have a positive impact on the brain, which can result in happier, more creative members of staff. Telecommuting could be a great way to increase employee morale, while caring for your team’s mental and physical health.

• Eliminate Office Conflicts

Workplace conflicts can arise from time to time, which can impact a company’s productivity while damaging employee morale. Telecommuting can ensure your business can avoid troublesome office politics, as it can separate staff who do not see eye to eye. As a result, your team can focus on the task at hand over poor relationships at work, which could otherwise impact their personal happiness and professional performance. Management can also spend less time building bridges and more time growing the brand.

Do you know any additional benefits of telecommuting? Has remote working transformed your business or working life? Please feel free to share your tips and stories by writing a comment below.