To Hire or Not to Hire Remote Employees?

After New York Times surveyed more than 15,000 adults about the benefit of working from home, their conclusions found that 43 percent of employed Americans took at least some time to work remotely in 2016. In fact, out of those surveyed in 2016, 31 percent reported that they were remote employees four or five days a week. This number has grown from 24 percent in 2012. These flexible working options could play a major role when a job seeker makes a decision to take a job.

So is a work from home option right for your company? Check out these four benefits that may convince you that remote workers are right for your company.

1. Increase in Productivity

A study done by Harvard Business Review proved that many workers are more productive when they work remotely. This isn’t to say that every employee is made to work at home. The study found that employees that are highly motivated individuals that valued working at home are likely to be more productive than in an office setting.

Additionally, while only 28 percent of in-office employees were likely to work overtime, 53 percent of remote employees claimed they would. By taking away workplace distractions like unplanned meetings and chatting with other employees, remote workers are bound to get more work done each day.

2. Lower Costs

Lower costs can be associated with both the company and the employees. A study done by Telework Research Network concluded that companies could save about $11,000 per employee that chooses to work remotely. Costs avoided by remote work included unscheduled absences and real estate costs.

Additionally, costs will also be reduced for employees. These costs will include the dramatic drop in transportation. Public transportation and gas prices are consistently increasing. According to a study done by ConnectSolutions, employees will be saving about $4,600 when they cut transportation costs.

3. Access to More Talent

When a company requires workers to commute to work, they are restricted to a talent pool only in their geographical area. But when there is no limit to where an employee works, your company has the opportunity to attract talent from anywhere in the world.

Toggl, a time tracking software company, takes working remotely to a whole new level. They have attracted amazing talent from the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia because they allow all their employees to work remotely. They have onboarding and meetings in office to get to know each other and the company, but their CEO explained that on most days, no one is in the office!

4. Virtual Collaboration

If there is ever a good time to start allowing employees to work from home, now is the time to do it. With so much technology out there, communication is easier than it ever has been before. With applications like Google Drive, Google Hangouts, and Dropbox, you can still have a collaborative work environment without being in the same place.

Of course hiring remote workers comes with its challenges, but it is easier than ever to adapt to these challenges with the accessibility of technology. With that being said, offering employees unlimited work from home time can be a huge competitive advantage when it comes to attracting the best talent for your company.