By Ashley Stahl, Originally Published in Forbes
You wake up in the morning and commute into work, spend a few hours in time-wasted meetings and get bombarded at your workspace with questions and uninvited guests.
Office life has taken a turn, and mostly for the worse.
As a career coach, I work with many clients that are unhappy with their current work situation. They often say, “I need to get out of my job and into a totally different career.” But the problem usually isn’t what they are doing, it is how they are doing it.
One of the biggest ways to improve the work environment for your employees so they don’t want to leave is to offer up remote work.
If you are a company looking for growth in the future, here are three reasons why you should embrace remote working.
1. The talent pool for hiring expands.
People build a company, and if you want the best people it is likely you will need to start looking globally.
Eighty-five percent of employees report a desire to work remote for at least a portion of their job and one-half of U.S. workers hold jobs that would support remote work.
If you are able to cater to the requests of top talent, they will find your company more appealing to work for. Even more encouraging, people may be living in parts of the world with lower costs of living and you can secure this leading talent for a fraction of the price.
Don’t forget what can often turn into a hiring nightmare…relocation. Many people do not want to pick up and move their family across the country. If you offer remote work, this alleviates the hassle and will save your company money in supporting any relocation funds. Depending on the size, companies pay on average $16 million a year for employee relocation costs.
Instead of hiring for people in a certain city, hire people for their talent, no matter where they are located.
2. You save money and help the environment.
Overhead expenses are typically 70-85% people related. When you increase the number of employees that participate in remote work you directly lower your overhead costs.
Many company campuses have invested a great deal of budget into offering corporate perks like gyms, free food and motivational events. With more employees working remote you can cut back on these expenses without losing employee morale.
When the size of on-site employees decreases you can rent out a smaller space, spend less money on HVAC, electricity and lighting. All of these utility reductions play into your companies corporate sustainability and impact on the environment.
On top of this, consider the gas emissions for employees to commute to and from work. Research found that the average employee spends $10-25 on gas each week, with some upwards of $50.
Some companies that are service based can go 100 percent remote. If your startup falls under this bracket and you need to host an occasional meeting, consider renting out an event space monthly or quarterly for a fraction of the cost that goes into keeping the lights on in an office space.
All of these cost savings can be used to hire more employees, invest in new projects or be used for community improvement and philanthropy. Consider what this can do for your long term company growth.
3. Employees are more engaged and productive.
When a company creates a culture in support of a healthy work-life balance, employee retention and engagement rises. With remote work available, employees have the freedom to work during the hours and in the environment that suits them best.
According to a survey, 86% of employees preferred to work alone in order to be productive. When there are fewer distractions, like impromptu meetings or coworkers talking loudly nearby, your employees will be more efficient.
This might sound counter-intuitive, but being absent actually makes you work harder to connect and not become complacent in your relationships. Harvard-Business Review found that groups working remotely valued the time they had together more and used their communication tools on hand to get things done more efficiently.
Offering remote work to employees is a perk that should not be overlooked. If, as a company, you want to seek and retain top talent and be a brand that people advocate working for, don’t miss the boat on this!
For a FREE course to land a new job you love, launch your dream business, or find your purpose, visit https://ashleystahl.com/