https://www.xperience-group.com/news-item/will-working-from-home-become-the-norm-post-lockdown/
In the early 1970s, a new wave of technological innovations gave start to teleworking – an “alternative to transportation” – freeing employees from the daily commute and enabling greater work and family life balance. Now, nearly 50 years on remote work popularity is growing massively thanks to the evolution of mobile devices, ultra-fast internet connection and proliferation of cloud-based solutions. But will it become the norm? Here we explore whether its benefits make remote working the future of work post-pandemic…
Commuting, juggling home and family time and dealing with office distractions – we all know how stressful and challenging those can be, impacting on our productivity and reducing the ability to concentrate and multi-task.
While many of us have to deal with multiple distractions now being under lockdown with kids, spouses and extended family, in other circumstances, employees who work from home are 13% more productive compared with their in-office counterparts. What is more, 9 in 10 employees consider flexible working to be a key motivator to their productivity which outweighs financial incentives.
An important contributor is technology. With the right tools and applications to fit your role and industry, housed under one roof you can improve efficiency, allowing your team to focus on being 100% productive.
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Working from home is known to improve work-life balance and foster better mental health. As a result flexible workers are also more likely to be engaged which in turn can potentially generate 43% more revenue by 20%, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
It’s a win-win situation for your business. Providing your employees have the right tools to do their job remotely, with secure access to their files and applications, their productivity, creativity and performance levels can go through the roof. There is no place like home!
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Higher productivity and performance coupled with improved well-being and home-work balance mean lower absenteeism – in fact 53% of remote workers are less likely to take time off when working at home.
What is more, allowing for flexibility and entrusting employees to work remotely contribute hugely to company culture and employee experience. 81% of employees say that the option to work remotely would make them more likely to recommend their company to job candidates and prospects.
It’s not just salary that attracts top talent. Flexible working is one of the things employees are looking out for and according to a LinkedIn study, 72% of talent professionals agree that work flexibility will be very important for the future of HR and recruiting. This will consequently allow businesses to widen the search and hire the best of the best.
Moreover, 74% of employees say that a remote work option would make them less likely to leave their company. This means better retention rates and lower recruitment fees. Also, they will be extremely loyal to your company.
Remote working is on the rise and the number of people who work remotely at least once per week has grown by 400% since 2010. What is more, research from Global Workforce Analytics shows that a typical employer can save around £9000 per half-time remote worker per year, which includes increased productivity and output, lower rental costs, reduced absenteeism and turnover.
One vital thing to remember. Technology is the key enabler of remote working with cloud computing, collaboration and productivity tools at the centre.