We are living in an era where working from home is a common reality for many. Having the option to work as per one’s convenience, makes job seekers eager and more willing to take up the opportunity. Businesses are realizing this and transitioning to remote work by offering flexibility to their employees. This means employees and organizations can both enjoy the advantages of remote working. Here’s how…
Thanks to our well-connected virtual world, balancing work and pleasure is easier for working nomads. Studies show how hiring remote workers have more positive outcomes than not. But making the switch and transitioning to remote work can be a bit tricky and much more well-suited for small businesses. Let’s look at some interesting benefits of remote working and how to make the process of transitioning to remote work a smooth-sailing one.
Benefits of remote working for small businesses
One of the most important things that small businesses always worry about is operating costs. When outgoing costs are larger than incoming returns, companies find it difficult to accommodate rent, onsite teams, office supplies, furniture and machinery costs, food costs etc. Thus, smaller organizations will find that having a remote team can save them a lot of money. Even their remote workers end up saving time and money by avoiding the daily commute. A study by a virtual collaboration software company showed that businesses can easily save thousands of dollars worth rupees, per-employee-per-year, just by switching to telecommuting. That’s a lot of money even if we’re talking about a small team of 25-30 people that would be transitioning to remote work.
The option to work from one’s place of convenience attracts a broader pool of talent and gives employers a chance to pick out the best-suited workforce for their particular needs. By hiring remote workers, companies can increase their market value and overall quality of work without breaking the bank. It sure is one of the best advantages of remote working, that businesses greatly appreciate.
Even though it may seem implausible, studies have shown that having a team of telecommuting staff or ‘working nomads’, brings out the best in terms of efficiency and productivity. As opposed to common assumption, a person who is working from home or working on-the-go is saved from distractions that he might face in the office. Chatty colleagues, office politics, interruptions, unnecessary remarks/questions from people are daily distractions that affect one’s productivity to a great extent. On the other hand, working from home allows more productivity and employees are more likely to work overtime as they do not feel as stressed or pressured.
You might also be interested to read: Remote Working to Enhance Productivity and Job Satisfaction
How to ace transitioning to remote work
With so many exciting benefits of remote working, making the switch seems expedient to do. Although a bit tricky, with a proper plan of action, right tools and policies, the transition can happen successfully.
- Start by brainstorming with your core team and try to analyze each and every employee and their set of responsibilities. Then have a one-on-one with those whom you see as potential remote workers.
- Ideate and come up with a strategic plan to streamline the whole process of making the transition. Make sure you have the right tools, technology and software to suit a remote working environment.
- Your team of remote workers will need to be on the same page for better mutual understanding and efficiency. For precisely this reason, an online communication platform is important where all the members will have an equal voice for example, group chats, messengers, and internet calling tools.
- Train your working nomads to stay on top of things by providing required skills, regular training sessions, online video-conference meetings etc.
- Having a well thought-out remote working policy in place is also extremely important to ensure smooth functioning.
Bottom line
Finally, as an organization/employer, the most important thing to remember when transitioning to remote work is to adapt and be open to flexibility at the managerial as well as executive level.
References:
- ‘Going Remote: How a Small Business Can Make the Transition’, Bruce Hakutizwi (business.com), 20 June 2019
- ‘6 interesting benefits of going remote’, Jennifer Parris (remote.com), 22 June 2016
