What Are The Benefits Of Remote Working?

By Lucas on Jul 21

Remote jobs have been popular for their flexibility and convenience for decades; however, technological advancements have opened scores of new opportunities for freelancers in recent years. Today, experienced and skilled professionals from all industries and career paths can explore more lucrative remote working opportunities to enjoy greater flexibility and financial independence.

Remote working is rapidly dominating the global industry, as both firms and professionals realize that the advantages it has to offer far exceed those of traditional workspaces and environments.

Corporations and firms seek to reduce their expenses, and carbon footprint, while employees seek greater control over their personal and professional lives. Professionals can work remotely, establish their hours, and choose to work from wherever they want.

In recent years, remote working has given rise to the community of digital nomads-professionals who travel the world and take their work wherever they go. Come to think of it; remote working is an excellent solution to fight climate change.

It cuts down daily transit traffic, reduces corporations' and industries' carbon footprint, reduces the need for clothing and business attire, and allows more considerable savings. However, many businesses and institutions did not embrace remote working until the Covid-19 pandemic arrived and left them with no choice.

As governments and organizations unite to combat the coronavirus crisis across the world, the global community has been forced to take a long and hard look at the potential benefits of remote working. It is a modern innovation that can retool our traditional practices, and bring about various advantages to our life quality and professional advancement.

Let's take a look at these benefits, shall we?

Reduced Expenses

Remote working reduces expenses for both corporations and their employees. Professionals can establish work-at-home spaces and reduce the expenses associated with daily commuting, fuel consumption, work attire, and others. Corporations, on the other hand, can save billions of dollars by putting an end to all onsite business operations.

Organizations and businesses do not have to incur office spaces, equipment, technological infrastructure, travel expenses, and more. Statistical estimates reveal that a corporation can save $11,000 a year by hiring one remote worker who handles telecommunications.

These reductions in expenses can be enjoyed without actually shrinking the organization's size or bringing any changes in its structure. Businesses can still maintain brick-and-mortar operations, and focus their revenues on increasing market share instead of incurring expenses that can be eliminated.

Wide Pool of Opportunities

Here's another striking benefit of remote working that applies to both businesses and their employees: there is a much wider pool of opportunities to acquire talent and enjoy career advancement. Organizations can hire skilled professionals from all over the globe, while experienced professionals can work for multiple organizations and clients on a project basis equation. Remote working facilitates opportunities by eliminating all geographic boundaries between employers and skilled professionals.

There are no borders when it comes to talent acquisition and career advancement opportunities. It allows businesses and professionals to embrace greater diversity and lucrative opportunities for growth and financial stability.

Modern-day technological innovations have given birth to virtual meeting rooms and coordination tools that allow employers to conduct day-to-day correspondence, hiring, and interviews online.

Organizations can hire a diverse workforce with numerous specialized and refined skillsets, multi-language fluencies, and unique experiences. The freelance industry's rise through remote working has allowed countless students to generate reliable income streams alongside pursuing their academic goals.

Greater Productivity Levels

Traditional mindsets continue to believe that remote workers are lazy and lethargic employees who do not possess the stability to hold onto a conventional, or 'real' job. It is an outdated myth that needs to be corrected. Remote professionals typically take up multiple clients and projects, and their financial stability and freedom are far greater than those who work 9-5 jobs.

Research reveals that despite working around the clock and taking up multiple projects, remote workers enjoy higher job satisfaction, stronger work commitments, and job-related wellness. Remote workers communicate with their clients and employers in virtual environments. They enjoy higher productivity levels compared to employees working from an office space.

This increased efficiency and productivity stems from the comfort, independence, control, and autonomy they enjoy while working from their preferred location. Remote working allows fewer distractions and the freedom of setting one's own hours, which encourages productivity and focus.

Remote employees can allocate their work hours as per their preferences, and since they can take as many breaks as they desire, they begin to adopt a task-oriented approach. They work out their distractions and focus on maintaining their financial stability and reliability by satisfying their remote clients and employers.

On the other hand, in-office employees feel compelled to put in the hours and maintain office decorum, dampening their spirits and making them inefficient.

Related Post: 10 Tips for Managing a Remote Team

Enhanced Employee-Employer Relationships

Remote working creates a desirable and flexible working environment that allows the cultivation of favorable employee-employer relationships. Skilled and experienced professionals seek flexibility in their professional growth, autonomy, and financial stability.

When organizations and businesses are willing to add these three vital ingredients to work opportunities, they can acquire talented professionals and enhance employee retention rates.

Surveys reveal that employees are willing to reduce their monthly or yearly income to gain more flexibility and greater autonomy. Flexible working environments are a necessary prerequisite to attract skilled and competent professionals in modern-day corporate environments.

Telework opportunities come with massive reductions in attrition rates, as they make the work equation more desirable and lucrative.

Reductions in Carbon Footprint

Remote working equations can prove to be a significant contributor to environmental preservation and the fight against climate change. It can help businesses and people across the world reduce their carbon footprint and carbon emissions. The reduced need for office spaces and workplaces will also combat the intensified deforestation trend to set up business ecosystems and corporate structures.

Telework can save the environment for further pollution and destruction by preventing over 50 million tons of greenhouse gases from penetrating the atmosphere. How is that possible? By simply reducing the need for professionals to commute to work every day. More than half of the jobs across the United States can be performed at home or remotely.

If businesses across the world created remote job opportunities alongside maintaining limited brick-and-mortar spaces, they could make marked reductions to their carbon footprint. Adopting an environmentally conscious model by incorporating remote work structures will also help businesses brand themselves as environmentally responsible organizations.

Post-COVID Retrospections

The coronavirus pandemic has introduced the global community to an unprecedented set of circumstances and experiences. Governments, organizations, and people worldwide are combatting an unparalleled healthcare threat that has given birth to immense uncertainty.

As the world has come to terms with its weaknesses, it has also come to terms with its strengths, and remote working has emerged as a dynamic strength. Remote working has empowered businesses and professionals to continue their operations and maintain financial stability despite social distancing challenges.

Remote working has kept countless businesses afloat and manage their operations by allowing professionals to work from their homes' safety. Many traditional businesses and organizations that reject the remote work model have now been forced to embrace it.

This brings us to an important question: could remote working has improved our preparedness for the ongoing pandemic?

Indeed, it could have enhanced our disaster preparedness and allowed us to absorb the initial financial shock that has crippled many economies due to the prolonged lockdown. A permanent and extensive remote working structure allows work and productivity to continue despite physical barriers and challenges.

Organizations, particularly IT businesses that operated on telecommuting arrangements, did not face any major hurdles in continuing their operations. They managed to formulate and implement their remote work contingency plan to prioritize their employees' and clients' safety.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, businesses, organizations, and even academic institutions have realized the significance of remote working and learning. There is a plethora of online meeting and collaborating software that allow enhanced communication and coordination.

Corporations can track their employees' progress, communicate with them, and hold virtual meetings to collaborate. In 2020, remote working is supported by an abundance of cutting-edge virtual solutions, software, and team management tools.

Related Post: How to Effectively Run Virtual Meetings

Remote working allows greater flexibility and convenience, but it also has certain downsides. For instance, it can be difficult for managers to track and coordinate with employees from all over the world. More importantly, the organization relies on the work ethics and commitments levels of the employee, and should the employee keep stalling or delaying tasks; it can lead to various problems and disruptions.

Power failures, connectivity breakdowns, virtual loopholes, and system errors can cause unnecessary delays and slow down productivity. And then there is the overwhelming risk of cybersecurity threats and sensitive data leakage.

However, these risks and downsides can be mitigated by deploying efficient remote-working tools, team management solutions, and a dynamic telework structure.