The Benefits of Employees Who Work From Home
With the rise of the gig economy, more and more workers are starting to work from home. This doesn’t mean that work isn’t getting done, but quite the opposite. If your company is considering letting your employees work from home, you’ll want to consider all the benefits.
Lower Costs
If all employees work remotely, the need for office space is eliminated. Not only does your company no longer have to pay rent for the office space, but every office amenity also becomes an unnecessary expense. Everything from coffee filters, to pens, paper and toner for the printer is no longer on the expense list.
We know that it’s not very likely that your entire company will become remote. Scaling down the number of employees that commute to work, means scaling down our example. Let’s use our previous examples of office amenities. No, you won’t be getting rid of them entirely, but the costs will scale back.
Retainability
Employees will stay with a company longer since they have flexibility that not all companies offer. They’ll want to be able to stay where a work-from-home option is available. If they already work from home, it will be difficult for them to give up their position to move companies where the option to telecommute may dissipate.
Technology
By allowing workers to take their tasks home, the entire company will become technology connoisseurs in no time. Everything can be shared amongst employees almost instantaneously, and becoming an expert in e-communication is a skill that all 21st Century employees must attain.
With more and more people using online or cloud technology tools as homes for their data, your company will have access to a larger pool of candidates when a position becomes available within any particular department. If they don’t need physical access to office space, they can work for your company from a different city, state or even a different country.
Increased Productivity
While there is a population of workers that prefer going into an office space from 9-5 every day, five days a week. These people are most comfortable opting-out of a work-from-home program. For those who do not work best in an office environment, working from home will show that they’re able to be more productive when able to complete their work on their own time, in the environment of their choosing.
Managers must consider that not every employee is going to be as productive at home as they are at work. Before an employee should start working from home, there are a few things to look into before pulling the trigger.
Good Work Ethic & Productive
If the employee in question has a stellar reputation of working hard and being a team player, this is a good sign that they’ll be able to handle things outside of an office setting. If they’re more known for working only as hard as needed, and not putting in any extra effort, they may be even less productive from home.
Good Communication Skills
When working from home, the social setting of an office disappears. There’s not a co-worker in the next cubicle that can answer any questions. If an employee is going to work from home, they need to feel comfortable communicating with co-workers and team members in whatever ways are available.
Employers, keep in mind that when it comes to communicating with your at-home subordinates, they’re not the only ones responsible for keeping the channels of communication open. Make sure your department or company has a designated channel for all employees to use for communication, whether it be email, text, phone calls or a company-wide Slack.
They Have a Good Reason to Want to Work Remotely
Whatever defines a “good reason” is up to each employer. If they have children, pets, or feel less productive at the office, be sure to keep an open mind in letting them plead their case.
Be Willing to Give A Trial
If you’re still unsure whether or not you’re comfortable with an employee working on their own, suggest a trial period. This will be both for you and your employee to dip your feet in the water before jumping in. Make expectations clear of what you’re expecting on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. When the trial period is up, have a meeting with your employees to collaborate on what they liked, disliked, and thought needed changing.
