COVID-19 has undoubtedly impacted the workplace for years to come. In an office-heavy world, mass remote working changed many industries, with offices adopting permanent and hybrid workstyles.
For most employees, remote work provided the flexibility they needed for a proper work-life balance. Gregory Michael Steinberg of Austin Texas discusses the benefits of remote work and its impact on employee productivity and job satisfaction below.
Increased Job Satisfaction
Remote work has large implications for employee job satisfaction, with 75% of employees stating they have a better work-life balance working remotely. This allows employees to work virtually anywhere, allowing them to take calls on the go and complete their assignments from wherever they can. This also allows employees to implement a schedule that best fits their needs, impacting the ability to do simple, but important tasks like taking a flight, going to the doctor’s office, caring for their children or walking their dog.
With healthier and happier lifestyles, those with remote options are twice as likely to stay at their current employer – even reported reduced absences and improved morale. For companies, remote employees are cost-effective investments that can help to decrease turnover rates, helping save thousands of dollars per employee.
Providing Flexibility for Employees with Caregiving Duties
Working remotely eliminates commute time and provides flexible hours that give employees valuable, needed time back. For those with caregiving duties, this can be an important asset to have. In the U.S., a recent study found 73% of employees reported they had some type of caregiving duties that impacted their job productivity.
Working from home alleviates the pressures of finding care for loved ones by allowing employees to be present and attend to such duties. This can be particularly helpful for employees who are new parents, as remote work allows them to be with their newborns for a prolonged period. With less stress and worry, employees can focus more on their tasks and increase their efficiency in the times they are “on the clock”.
Increased Work Productivity
Office culture often can be full of distractions with small talk, side conversations, and impromptu meetings. The “work from anywhere” strategy decreases these distractions and allows employees to focus on their job at hand, in a distraction-free environment. Research shows that workers are 13% more productive working from a home office as opposed to a larger corporate setting.
In addition, employees can develop a space that best suits their needs. For example, room temperature, lighting, and decoration can play key roles in employee productivity. By being able to control their workspace directly without implications of affecting nearby colleagues, workers can harness their isolated workspace to their individual needs.
In Conclusion
Remote work has largely changed the workplace as many know. In today’s society, more companies acknowledge the benefits of having work from anywhere options as it relates to employee satisfaction, productivity, and morale.
Even with the shift of some companies to return to the office, employees have voiced their need to have remote options available, making the future of the office remain largely unclear as remote work looks here to stay.