10 Reasons Why Remote Work Rocks

Everything around us is changing—how we communicate and express ourselves, how we connect with other people, how we order food, how we live our lives.

When it comes to how work is done, everything is changing as well. At Servixio, we decided to make our company a 100 per cent virtual company—from top to bottom.

Why did we do that? We strongly believe that remote work has lots of benefits to our clients and people.

Here are the top 10 benefits of remote work:

1.) Remote workers are more productive

Remote workers are lazy and they will just slack around, right? Well, wrong! According to a ConnectSolutions survey, 30 per cent of workers said that they accomplished more in less time when they started working remotely.

Working remotely can avoid unnecessary office chatter and distractions that are affecting the level of performance of your people. Be sure to use a document and project management tool to ensure deadlines are met and everyone is on the same page.

2.) Remote workers are less stressed

According to the same survey conducted by ConnectSolutions, 82 per cent of remote workers reported lower stress levels. Workers enjoy their jobs more when they are working remotely than being forced to work inside a typical brick-and-mortar office.

When people are not stressed with their jobs, they remain engaged and creative resulting in high-quality work.

3.) Lower employee turnover and job attrition rates

According to a study published by Stanford University, employee turnover and job attrition rates fell over 50 per cent when companies offer remote work options. Workers tend to stay longer when they are given a chance to work remotely. Keeping great employees for a long period of time means companies will not need to find great people on a regular basis.

In the 2015 PGI Global Telework Survey, 68 per cent of surveyed workers worldwide would leave their existing job for a similar job, at the same pay rate, if they can work remotely full time. A company could lose valuable employees if they can find the same work with the same pay rate that offers a full-time remote work option.

4.) Remote workers cost less

American Express reported annual savings of US$1o million to US$15 million thanks to its remote worker options. Hiring and managing virtual workers means less overhead costs like office rental fees, facilities maintenance, IT infrastructure expenses, office supplies costs and other expenses needed to run a physical office.

5.) Remote workers are more connected

Harvard Business Review stated that 87 per cent of remote workers feel more connected through the use of video conferencing. Believe it or not, remote workers are more connected through the use of technology than the traditional approach of having a physical meeting or seeking assistance to do their jobs effectively.

6.) Millennial talents are more attracted to remote work

According to Harvard Business Review, 68 per cent of millennial job seekers said an option to work remotely would greatly increase their interest in specific employers. Having young and talented people means more enthusiastic, energetic, flexible, and tech-savvy workforce.

7.) Remote work is healthier

According to the UK Office of National Statistics, commuters have lower life satisfaction, a lower sense that their daily activities are worthwhile, lower levels of happiness, and higher anxiety on average than non-commuters. Remote workers are better off than their commuting peers and it promotes lesser carbon footprint making tree-huggers happier.

8.) Remote venues are better than brick-and-mortar offices

Harry Potter was created by J.K. Rowling inside her favorite coffee bar. Now, remote workers can get some of that action too. Remote work can be done outside the comfort of our homes. It can be done almost anywhere that promotes creativity, engagement, and high-quality work.

9.) Remote work creates new jobs

New ways of working also require new roles in the organization. We will see great collaboration between HR, IT, and facilities management and new roles like “Workplace Director” are being created to make agile and flexible workplace possible.

10.) Remote work promotes work/life balance

Remote work makes absenteeism possible. I’m not talking about the AWOL type of absenteeism, but the elimination of the need to be present in a brick-and-mortar office. If there’s no need for workers to be present in a physical office, it means they can do their jobs while being close to their loved ones without jeopardizing the quality of their work.

Providing full-time work with flexible workplace option is possible. We at Servixio believe that great and talented people deserve these benefits. After all, a meaningful job takes a huge part of our people’s lives. It’s in our hands to make our people’s work flexible, engaging, exciting, creative and fulfilling.

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A previous version of 10 Reasons Why Remote Work Rocks first appeared on e27. By Alfred Cardenas.