Remote Work: When The Office Isn't An Office
As important as it is to cultivate a healthy and appealing workplace for your employees, it's also important to take note of how frequent remote work is becoming. Whether it's working from home or being on-call at a coffee shop, this generation of employees is increasingly taking advantage of the technological flexibility and personal convenience of remote work, which is why it's important to understand the effects and changes this trend has given to working days in the last several years. A flexible office is a productive office, and here are some crucial factors to consider when it comes to letting employees work outside the workplace.
Work-life balance: The ability to work from just about anywhere can be a major benefit across the board. For parents, working from home means it's easier to be there for their children. For younger employees, being able to work in ways that don't cut into their social lives can help build and sustain important connections and friendships. And the increased autonomy across the board -- whether it's giving night owls an open schedule that fits their habits, or letting employees with medical conditions or accessibility issues work where they're most comfortable -- is an accommodating way to ensure that they're able to contribute at their best.
Commute-time reduction: Whether it's lost time, environmental concerns, or just a reluctance to head outdoors in miserable weather, the commute to work is invariably one of the most stressful and even wasteful parts of the workday. And while many workers are accustomed to it, those who live in the sprawl of far-flung suburbs might feel more energy and focus to do their work if they didn't have to spend several hours a week just to get there and back. That they'll inevitably save money on gas or transit fare in the process is a good boost to peace of mind, too.
A deeper talent pool: In allowing for those previous two-benefits, you'll find prospective employees who might otherwise balk at long travel distances or standard nine-to-five hours can wind up contributing competitive skill sets to your business. Since younger and entry-level workers consider workplace flexibility to be one of the most important benefits available, welcoming their tech-savvy knowledge of telecommuting can also mean getting a wider selection of skilled employees to join your team.
Lowered expenses: This might seem obvious, but smaller businesses on smaller budgets can take advantage of the fact that fewer office-bound employees can mean less money spent on office square footage, furnishings, and office equipment. Rotating employee in-office days means being able to share a reduced number of workspaces instead of having to dedicate individual ones to employees who'll be in the office all week.
You can learn more about the benefits of encouraging remote work at Aura's inaugural complimentary Lunch & Learn Speakers Series. RSVP before October 4th to join us for a catered lunch and a learning session with industry experts!