Since the pandemic, remote work has become increasingly popular. During the pandemic, working remotely was essential to prevent the spread of illness, now it has become a great option to provide extra flexibility for employees and employers. There are many pros and cons of remote work to consider, so if you are thinking about adopting it at your business then you should start by analyzing the latest remote work trends.
After nearly three years of remote work, employees are still enjoying the option to work from home. The majority of people say that their remote work promotes a positive environment and that they would prefer to work remotely or in a hybrid format going forward in their career. If you are thinking about implementing remote work into your business, you should consider this fact as it may entice more people to work for your company and may expand your applicant pool to more qualified people from across the globe. However, if you decide that remote work is not fitting for your company, you should be aware that it may deter people from your company. In fact, “57% of American workers say they’d actively look for a new job if they can’t continue working remotely.” In order to remain competitive to appeal to top talent, it is important to acknowledge these preferences for your business.
Remote work can help improve company culture as it inspires a better work-life balance and in turn happier employees. Employees greatly value the flexibility and time management that remote work allows. Additionally, it provides employees the opportunity to live anywhere and work anywhere. This makes it easy for employees to work while traveling and gives them the added perk of living in any city. Additionally, long commutes are eliminated, more time with family and friends is allocated, and more money is saved. All of these factors encourage employees to seek remote work and will ensure that they are happy in their role and ultimately prevent turnover at your company.
While remote work can be beneficial and increase the desire for employees to work for your company, it is necessary to analyze the cons and what may serve as a hurdle for accelerating your business. One barrier to recognize is productivity. It is important to understand an appropriate workflow for your business and find ways to implement checkpoints to make sure that employees are completing their work in a timely manner. Technological difficulties may present themselves as an issue as well, making it difficult for employees to complete work or communicate with coworkers. Communication may also be an area that is impacted due to remote work. Since employees are not in the same space as one another and cannot easily ask questions or talk through business situations, they are forced to rely on messaging or meeting virtually which may decrease efficiency as response time and complexity is increased. If you are planning to implement remote work, you should brainstorm ways to combat these issues to guarantee that your business is operating as efficiently as possible.
Overall, remote work does not appear to be going anywhere as it is overwhelmingly desired by employees. However, a hybrid environment might be the best work format moving forward as it maintains the benefits that employees desire, while also combatting the challenges that are induced by a remote environment.