Want to be a digital nomad but you’re struggling to work out how to persuade your boss to let you work remotely? Then you need our list of 10 great reasons why remote work is better for businesses. That’s because your boss’s job is to make the company happy and not to make you happy.
So, start today and let them know you need to work remotely because it’s better for business because: you can cut out commuting, it’s good for employee retention, it saves money, it boosts ROI on technology, it improves productivity and much more.
Table of Contents
Reason One: You Can Eliminate The Commute
Commuting sucks for employees but it also sucks for employers. We only have so many productive waking hours in a day, why would you want to waste them driving to work or sitting on a bus or a train?
When transport is late, it can have a severe knock-on effect on the whole working day. If an employee works from where they want to work, there’s little to no commuting involved – they hit their desk fresh as a daisy from the start.
That means they’re ready to work and feeling good about it. This is going to help boost productivity.
Reason Two: Remote Working Is Good For Employee Retention Rates
Real-life rarely goes on hold for the 9 to 5. Employers resent employees taking time off for doctors’ appointments or solicitor’s visits, but the truth is that they can’t be helped.
When an employee works remotely, they have more control over the time they put in. Employers that move the focus from “number of hours” to “deliverables” don’t need to worry about this – the employee can go do what they want, when they want, as long as they get the work done.
This, in turn, makes employees happier and they’re more likely to stay where they feel wanted. Employee turnover is expensive. Employee retention rates are important to business competitiveness.
Reason Three: You Can Save Money On “On Costs”
Every time an employee is in the office, they cost you money. We’re not talking about salaries here. We’re talking about the desk they use, the space the desk sits on, the carpet they walk on from the desk to the door, the door they open, etc.
Ongoing costs are a substantial portion of what it costs to run a business. When an employee is free to work elsewhere, you can cut your overheads.
In fact, you may even find that over time, you can move into smaller offices in a more prestigious location and still save money. But that location may lead to even more opportunities, and thus you make more money as well as save it on “on costs”>
Reason Four: You Can Get More Value Out Of Your Technology Investment
Most businesses already spend a small fortune on smartphones, laptops, software tools, Wi-Fi, company servers and then they make very little use of this infrastructure by having all their employees sit in an office to use it.
By using your IT investment to promote remote work, you can get better value for money or ROI out of that infrastructure.
Now, we will note that you may need to invest in a few remote working tools to make the best of things, but they won’t cost as much as you save in other areas of this plan.
It’s also very easy to switch over to a “Bring Your Own Device” policy when everyone works from home and this can reduce your overall IT spending dramatically.
Reason Five: It Will Deliver Higher Levels Of Productivity
A study commissioned by Stamford University showed that people who work from home are 13% more productive than their office-based selves.
Why? Well, mainly because when people are free to work away from the office, there are fewer distractions taking them away from their day-to-day work and because well, people tend to work harder when they work away from the office because they’re worried their boss will think they are slacking.
It’s worth noting that most remote working isn’t an instant transition. Companies don’t just switch the lights off and tell everyone to go home. It happens gradually and you can measure the impact of it.
Reason Six: It Increases The Available Talent Base To The Business
If it doesn’t matter where somebody works. Then it doesn’t matter where they are based. This is possibly the biggest advantage for any business that embraces remote working. You can hugely increase the available talent pool.
In fact, you can even hire talent that’s not in the same town, state, country or continent as you. Remote work has no limits apart from the need for the right equipment and a Wi-Fi connection. If you can find an employee in Bangladesh or India, you’re going to find that their salary demands are much lower too.
Remote work means that you can always, as long as your interview and hiring process is working correctly, hire the best person for the job.
Reason Seven: It Offers Employees A Sense Of Autonomy
This is a minor but still important benefit. When an employee has control over their work environment, they can work in the best way that suits them. This is always going to improve productivity.
I like to work in something of a mess. I always have. It can drive a manager or colleague crazy when confronted by my desk but when they can’t see it – they can’t be bothered by it, either.
In the same way, an ultra-neat colleague can ensure their work environment is spotless and it won’t grate on my nerves.
We’re all different. I find death metal can often improve my productivity on dull tasks, but I can’t play that in the office without getting myself lynched. I can play it to my heart’s content in my apartment though. There’s nobody around but me.
Reason Eight: It Can Improve Employee Health & Wellbeing
There’s a lot of talk about how working remotely can negatively impact health but it can also be a real boon to their health too. Someone who doesn’t commute has more time available to them to exercise and eat right.
Sure, you may have to signpost the way for your employees to live a better life when working away from the office, but they will have time and possibly more energy too to make their lives healthier if they want to.
Some research has also shown that the majority of remote workers are less stressed. Stress can have a severe negative impact on health, so it ought to follow that less stress will lead to a healthier lifestyle.
Reason Nine: It Will Future Proof The Business
Remote workers can be hired and deployed faster than traditional workers. Combine that with the opportunity to mine the widest geographical areas for talent and you have a recipe for a business that can react to market changes in an instant.
That means you can future proof your business by mastering remote working now. The faster you can adapt, the easier it is to ensure that you can compete and make profits. There’s no better reason to allow remote working that this – it’s an essential for the longevity of your business.
Reason Ten: It Can Lower Salary Bills
We wouldn’t share this with your manager unless you have to but let’s be fair about this: remote working can reduce salary bills.
When an employee no longer needs to buy smart office attire to be at work, when they don’t have to pay for a daily commute, when they can eat lunch out of the fridge rather than from a café, etc. they’re going to save a lot of money by working remotely.
An employer can probably lower the salary of a remote worker and they will still be better off than when they had to come into the office. This can be a huge win for employers because salaries are usually the largest non-fixed-cost a business incurs.
Conclusion
Remote work isn’t about making employees happy. It’s about bringing definable benefits to the business that you work for. When you ask your boss to let you work remotely, so you can start your digital nomad life, talk about why it makes sense for the business not why it makes sense for you.