While online jobs weren’t possible until the last few decades, human beings now have an incredible capacity for working remote. With the prevalence of fax machines and computers in the 1990s followed by the development of smartphones, companies now have more abilities than ever for team members to work from locations outside the office.
And while there has long been the opportunity for these practices, one of the main reasons remote working hasn’t caught on until now is because people simply weren’t used to the idea.
This isn’t surprising. Whenever a new invention like electricity is created, it can take years or decades for manufacturers, companies, and consumers to accept it. Today, technologies like video conferencing and remote time tracking make remote work from home easier than it has been for years.
For a large portion of human history, remote working was the only option. Weavers spun rugs from the light of the living room window, and medieval merchants sold their wares from their own homes. Now, because of changing situations in modern offices, we are finally returning to the kind of work environment human beings are used to, except with more modern technology.
What Does Working Remotely Mean?
Without getting too technical, remote working essentially means working from any place other than the office where an employer is located.
And while working remote can mean you are working from home, this isn’t always the case. If you have a poor internet connection or too many distractions at home, you can always head to your local coffee shop or coworking space and use their wifi. Many remote workers eventually set up a designated home-based office space in their home but you can basically work from any location you want.
Remote working can indicate you are working from home full-time, but you could also simply telecommute a few days a week. Your company may encourage your productivity by using time-tracking software and screenshots, or you might be allowed to completely manage your own time.
In a recent study by PwC, 64% of millennials said they’d like to have the opportunity to work from home. While many companies were originally afraid of productivity losses, they are starting to embrace the benefits of working remotely. As more companies hire a distributed workforce, they are quickly putting an end to old myths and misconceptions about virtual jobs and remote work.
Benefits of Working Remotely
As companies learn more about remote working benefits, they are consistently becoming more interested in adopting this kind of work. While some industries like video production are especially good for remote working, it is possible to integrate this kind of flexible workplace for many fields of business.
With a remote workforce, your team can enjoy perks ranging from no more commute to limited meetings and other timely distractions. If you want to modernize your workforce, learning more about remote working benefits is the first step.
1. Employees Can Work From Home During Peak Productivity Hours
Studies show morning and night people each have unique benefits, but there is one thing they have in common. Neither morning larks nor night owls do as well when they are forced to work during their non-productive hours.
When you let your employees start working remote, you give them the freedom to work when they are most productive. This allows them to be more productive and happier, which is a benefit for themselves, your workplace, and their team members. More will get done and the end result will generally be better.
2. Workers Can Skip Their Commute
One of the top benefits and tips for working remotely is to skip the commute. When someone is able to work from home, they get to skip out on the time, energy, and money they normally spend on their trip to work every day. This means they can start working remote earlier than normal, and they can comfortably work late when a project is due.
The average worker in the United States spends about 26 minutes on a one-way commute. This works out to more than 200 hours of driving to and from their office each year. Your team members will have a tremendous amount of added free time to be productive and enjoy life if you let them work from home.
3. You Can Hire From a Larger Talent Pool
If all of your employees have to come to your office each day, then they must live within your geographic region. But this means you could be missing out on highly talented workers who don’t want to make an arduous commute into the office each day.
By allowing off-site work, you can encourage potential employees throughout your state, country, or even across the entire world to apply for a job with your company. This allows you to expand your talent pool and find the best of the best. If workers are in areas with a better cost of living, they may even be willing to take a lower salary as well.
4. Companies Can Reduce Their Overhead Costs
In the short run, you may be locked into rental arrangements. But over the long term, you can reduce your overhead significantly by switching to remote working and moving into a smaller office space. If you don’t need room for your telecommuters, then you don’t have to pay for utilities and maintenance for the unnecessary space.
5. Workers Spend Less Time on Meetings
An estimated 67% of workers say they spend too much time in meetings. A full 6% of employees say they spend more than 10 hours a week in meetings. Unfortunately, most of this time is wasted and provides minimal productivity.
In most cases, your workforce will be more productive with fewer meetings. You can send emails summing up meetings to employees whose presence isn’t strictly necessary, and you can reduce the number of meetings you have overall. Video conferencing software can even be used if a meeting is truly needed.
6. Your Workers Get a Better Work-Life Balance
If you want your company to be successful, you need to provide your employees with the opportunity for a comfortable lifestyle. One of the ways you can achieve this goal is by offering a better salary or better benefits. Though depending on your company, it might not be possible to spend money on benefits right away.
Instead of spending more on your employees’ pay, you can switch to a remote working policy and improve their chances for work-life balance. The best thing about this desirable benefit is you don’t have to pay anything extra for it. In reality, hiring location-independent professionals will help you save money because you no longer have to pay for office space to house them.
7. Employees Can Take Fewer Sick Days
When people start working remote, they are able to take fewer sick days since they’re already able to work from home. For some illnesses like a cold, they will be able to still work as long as they don’t have to come into the office.
Plus, allowing your employees to telecommute means you are less likely to get your whole workplace sick if one employee decides to come to work while they are ill.
8. You Can Help the Environment
As an added benefit, doing remote work from home means your company reduces its impact on the environment. Each remote worker is one less person who has to burn fossil fuels to reach the office. Along with getting a morale boost from being eco-friendly, you can also calculate the amount you save and use it as a marketing tool in customer education brochures.
Remote Work Statistics
As more companies turn to remote working, researchers have been able to gain insights into the best remote working tips as well as the impact they are having. The following are some of the most relevant remote work statistics. These stats highlight the amazing growth and productivity opportunities made possible through telecommuting.
- Since 2010, the number of people working remotely has grown by 400%.
- 83% of workers in a Future of Work survey said the ability to work at home at least some of the time would be the clincher if they had to decide between two comparable jobs.
- In Gallup research, employees were found to be most productive when they spent 60 to 80% of their time working off-site. This works out to three or four days of telecommuting a week if they have a standard 5-day schedule.
- 54% of workers say they’d leave their current jobs if they could find a workplace with more flexibility. This means you can target better applicants and retain your current employees if you offer telecommuting and agile work.
- An estimated 75% of people who work remotely say it reduces potential distractions, which can make them more productive employees.
- After implementing flexible work locations, 85% of companies say it made their company more productive.
- 76% of people say they avoid going to the office completely when they need to focus on an important project. If you make people stay in the office, you could be limiting your workforce’s productivity and creativity.
- The typical remote worker is 20 to 25% more productive than their peers who have to work in the office.
Each remote worker saves an average of $10,000 a year in real estate expenses. Employee turnover is also 25% lower in workforces if they have a remote working policy. Whether you want happier employees, lower overhead costs, better applicants, or more productive teams, a flexible workplace has been proven time and time again to help.
Common Remote Working Jobs
Whether you are looking for jobs you can work remotely or you want to determine whether your business can offer this as an option, you’ll find the possibilities are seemingly endless Most industries have at least a few job options available that can be done from home. Though a few careers have begun to really stand out among the crowd.
Freelancer
Whether you are a digital nomad or a content writer, freelancing is one of the easiest ways to get started in a work-from-home job. Through job sites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Textbroker, you can discover clients and build your business bigger and faster than ever before. As a freelancer, you also get to enjoy setting your own schedule and not having a boss.
Video Marketer
Video marketers help transform a company’s story into relevant ads, how-to guides, interviews, and more. While filming may have to occur on-site, pre-production and post-production are generally done remotely. Because a lot of production would take longer to do through in-person meetings with the client, this business is ideally suited for remote work.
Many efficient video production companies have already begun to make the switch as they adapt their business models to make room for telecommuting and other opportunities.
Product Manager
A product manager is responsible for overseeing the production of something from the start of the project to the end. The project could be a design feature, a software program, or a tangible product. By working from home, product managers can use team management software to manage their teams and enjoy a more flexible schedule.
Copywriter
A copywriter’s job is to write persuasive content to convince readers to purchase a product or service. They may work for a company or as a freelance copywriter as they write various types of content. By working from home, copywriters can focus on the quality of work they produce rather than the number of hours they clock in each day.
Web Designer
Web designers and developers are hired to help with creating websites, coding apps, and managing websites. Because their job is mostly online anyway, they can easily work from home as long as they have an internet connection and a computer. Many tech-related jobs like software programming and app development are also ideal for telecommuters.
Because of current circumstances and modern technology, more people are able to work from home than ever before. For the last decade, online ESL teachers and college professors have been teaching classes from home. Now, schools are discovering public and private school teachers can also educate students from home.
Many customer service positions can be done from home because of VoIP, and virtual assistants use the same technology to do their job. Social media marketers, illustrators, and editors have plenty of work-from-home opportunities. And thanks to sites like Etsy and Amazon, small and medium-sized businesses have found numerous telecommuting options as well.
Remote Working is the Future of Business
Remote working is a way to make your workplace more productive by letting employees work during their peak productivity hours. You can lower your real estate costs, reduce your carbon footprint, and add an extra perk to attract top-level talent. Plus, you can boost your engagement levels and retention rates if you let your employees work from home.
Team members also benefit from working remote and they report being happier with this kind of arrangement. They’re able to minimize their commute times and be in charge of their day. Thanks to modern technology, businesses are choosing to become more productive with a remote workforce.
Learn more about how Top Notch Cinema can create videos for your company using both remote and on-site practices! Check out our services to see the many ways we can help you grow and promote your business!
