A lot of employers are nervous about letting their employees work from home, but due to the increased evidence that it can be beneficial to productivity and cost-efficiency, it's getting more and more difficult to avoid thinking about it. In fact, according to Global Workplace Analytics, working from home has grown a whopping 80 percent in the United States since 2005.
Why the impressive jump over the past decade? The answer is simple: money. The cost savings of letting employees work from home are far too great to ignore, and in the future, it will likely continue to be a popular choice among the average employee. There are several benefits of letting your team work remotely.
Increased Productivity
You might think that employees would be less likely to be productive from home, but the opposite is true. Employees are far more likely to work longer hours than those who don't, making it an ideal choice to keep those who work overtime happy. This isn't true for all employees, though. The type of work also plays a part in whether or not employees will be more productive from home.
- 53 percent of telecommuting workers will put in overtime, while only about 28 percent of in-office workers will want to do so.
- Employees who perform routine, repetitive work experience a six-to-ten percent cut in productivity by working at home.
Significantly Reduced Costs for Both Parties
Whether you want to admit it or not, your business will save by not having an extra body in the office. You'll save on utilities such as electricity and heat, janitorial services, office supplies, water, equipment, furniture, and other expenses. All of this could be put toward other, more important aspects of your business. Here are some more statistics from Global Workplace Analytics:
- $700 billion: The amount that could be saved nationally if those who desire to work from home do so only about half of the time.
- $11,000: The amount that the average business saves per remote employee.
- $2,000-$7,000: The amount telecommuters save every year.
- Oil savings would equal over 37 percent of the United States' Persian Gulf imports.
- Greenhouse gas emissions would be significantly reduced - it would equal taking the entire New York State workforce off of the road permanently.
Not only is it good financially, but it can contribute toward a cleaner environment.
Higher Employee Retention Rates
We all know that it costs more to hire a new employee than to keep the same team member. Working from home can keep your team happy, and studies have proven that those who offer the chance to work from home have a higher retention rate and satisfaction level:
- 73 percent say they eat healthier working from home.
- 76 percent are more loyal to their company.
- 80 percent experience a better work/life balance.
- 36 percent of employees would rather work from home than receive a raise.
- 37 percent of tech professionals would take a 10 percent pay cut to work from home.
No matter how you slice it, those are huge numbers that cannot be ignored.
Fewer Call-Ins
Those who work at home are far less likely to call in than those who don't. Most workers will continue to work from home even if they are sick, so long as you give them the option to do so. Besides, how can they call in if they don't even need to work from the office?
- Unscheduled absences (i.e. calling in) cost businesses an average of $1,800 per employee every year.
- 78 percent of call-ins are due to stress or personal problems. Telecommuters can handle these issues better from the comfort of their own home, and are less likely to call in.
- Remote workers are more likely to return to work after appointments unrelated to work rather than just take the whole day off.
The numbers speak for themselves. Working remotely can be a great way to save money and boost employee morale. Infradapt can offer your business remote access solutions and enterprise-level software that can help your remote team stay in touch with you outside of the office. You'll enjoy the benefits of having a remote team with all of the bonuses of having a quick and easy way to access them. Mobility is a decisive factor for the modern business. Contact Infradapt at 800.394.2301 to stay at the head of the race.