Remote Work has steadily become a norm nowadays. Many employees have expressed their satisfaction in this new workset-up and would like to fully embrace remote working because of its benefits for employee happiness, productivityand health. Several studies on remote work have highlighted its benefits on employees' welfare. Survey from owllabs.com says that 83% of survey respondents agree that the ability to work remotely would make them happier and a study from buffer.com showed that a whopping97% of remote work employees would recommend remote work to others.
Definition of Remote Work
Remote work is a working style where an employee will work outside their traditional office. It is usually done athome, where employees may work according to their own schedule.
Remote work has become mainstream and has been adapted by many companies, especially with the rise of the internetgeneration. It gives businesses advantages such as a larger talent pool, increased productivity, and reducedoperating costs. Adapting remote work is seen as a win-win situation among employers and employees because it ismutually beneficial.
What Motivates Remote Workers?
1. Flexible Schedule and Location
According to a study done by buffer.com, 32% of remote workers believed that thebiggest benefit of working remotely is the ability to have a flexible schedule while 26% believed that it is the flexibility to work anywhere. Employees may choose to work at the time they are most productive and creative, as long as they can come up with the deliverables. Employees can sleep a little later and adjust their work schedule as they see fit.
With this flexibility, employees have more freedom, their time can be fully maximized because they can choose to workwhen they feel at their best. They also have the option to work at the comfort of their homes, commercialworkspaces, or their favorite coffee shops. According to blog.hubstaff.com, individuals undergoing personal problems (such as divorce and the death of an immediate family member) could have kept working if their job had more flexibility. In these situations, the option to work remotely would have been a huge benefit to both theemployer and the employee.
2. Narrowed Focus and Improved Productivity
One of the advantages of remote work is increased focus and productivity. Employees are more focused on their tasks and consequently, deliver quality outputs. There is an observable increase in their productivity, compared to their office job, because of factors like a quiet, distraction-free work environment at home. Distractions such asbackground noise, interruption from coworkers, and out-of-the-blue meetings can interfere with a person'sproductivity. Additionally, employees would save time when working from home because they do not have to worry aboutcommuting.
Studies also show that employees working at home log more hours than in the usual office set-up. According to businessnewsdaily.com, remote employees work 1.4 more days per month than their office-based counterparts, resulting in more than threeadditional weeks of work per year. This is because they take fewer breaks and only file occasional sick leaves.
3. Enhanced Physical Health and Well-being
Remote work also promotes physical, emotional, mental, and overall well-being. According to a Flexjobs.com survey, 97% of employees said that a job with flexibility would improve their overall quality of life. This is because they are now isolated from common sources of stress at work such as office politics, toxic environments, and work restrictions. Apart from that, they also feel fulfilled in doing recreational activities and upskilling. Maintaining good physical health is also a benefit to working remotely because employees can use their extra timefor exercise.
4. Quality Work-Life Balance
Many employees experienced a better work-life balance when they started working remotely from home. Since they are in control of their time, they can block their schedules so that they work at their most productive time without compromising their rest. By doing so, they can spend the remainder of their time bonding with their family and doing hobbies they enjoy outside of their work. Employees also have elbow room to manage work-life conflicts withoutlosing substantial man hours. In an owllabs.com report, 81% of respondents agreed that working remotely would make them better able to manage work-life conflict.
Remote Work as Permanent Set-up
According to forbes.com, studies show that the number of employees that work from home doubled in 2021. Many employees plan not to go back tothe usual work set-up since they have grown accustomed to remote work. On the other hand, a growing number of companies are considering allowing their employees to work remotely permanently. Companies such as Twitter, Slack, Dropbox, and Spotify have announced that they allow their workers to work from home indefinitely.
The benefits of working remotely have amplified the happiness, productivity, and overall well-being of employees. Many people are considering doing remote work and many companies are now considering hiring virtual assistant companies since it is the most convenient way to hire talents during these times. Are you an employer searching for top-notch 24/7 virtual services? Kickstart your start-up business by checking-out Pareto's website now.
