The Pros Of Remote Work: The Workplace Has Changed For Good
The benefits are much more than the downsides
This is part two of the Remote Work piece I started last week, where we paint a broad picture of the pros (benefits) of remote work. Previously, we covered the cons (challenges) associated with working from home. There are many nuances and implications related to remote/hybrid work, and we build upon these two articles.
The Pros Of Remote Work: The Workplace Has Changed For Good
“In thirty years’ time, as technology moves forward even further, people are going to look back and wonder why offices ever existed.” —Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group
Something we have repeatedly heard as a silver lining in the pandemic, is that millions of people started working all-remotely or hybrid, which was unthinkable before. The effect of COVID-19 on the future of work is real, and the disruption will lead to a permanent change in the future of work and how work is organized.
If you ask your people, especially supervisors and managers, where they go when they really need to get work done, very few will respond “the office.” If it’s at the office, they may say either early in the morning before others arrive or really late when everyone’s gone home. In my corporate working experience and when I was the co-founder/CEO of a tech company (closed in 2016), the most significant work I was able to accomplish, along with what needed to be done to the best of my ability, was done between 6 pm to midnight. Yes, I did that for almost 5 years, and it led me straight to burnout.
A new global study by The National Bureau of Economic Research reveals that remote work saves commuters an average of 72 minutes a day. This is a significant time for other non-related work activities. According to the study, those living with children allocate more of their time savings to caregiving.
According to the research presented at Remote Work by Jason Fried, “commuting is associated with an increased risk of obesity, insomnia, stress, neck and back pain, high blood pressure, and other stress-related ills such as heart attacks and depression, and even divorce.”
A project manager from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Puerto Rico shared with me that after the C-19 lock-down on March 12, 2020, the emergency response protocol kicked in and approved paid overtime work. In just two months, management noted that productivity soared when employees started working from home. They quickly noted that the extra hours did not make the difference it was the flexibility, thus employees returned to the 40-hour workweek, and workers continued to produce high-quality work and high job satisfaction.
According to the research presented at Remote Work by Jason Fried, “Commuting is associated with an increased risk of obesity, insomnia, stress, neck and back pain, high blood pressure, and other stress-related ills such as heart attacks and depression, and even divorce.”
A project manager at FEMA Puerto Rico explained to me that right after the shutdown, the emergency response kicked in and approved paid overtime work. In just two months, management noted that productivity soared when employees started working from home and it had nothing to do with the extra hours. They quickly returned to the regular 40 hours and workers continued to produce high quality work and show job satisfaction.
The benefits of remote work include:
Increased flexibility in terms of when and where they work, which can lead to improved work-life balance.
Increased productivity by removing the distractions found in a traditional office environment.
Reduced commute which can save significant time and money.
Reduced absenteeism due to illnesses or personal responsibilities.
Access to a wider pool of talent: Companies can hire remote workers from anywhere in the world, which allows them to access a wider pool of talented individuals.
Reduced costs for the company by saving on office space, utilities, and other overhead expenses not applicable to a remote workforce.
Positive environmental impact when you consider fewer cars on the road, thereby reducing air pollution and traffic congestion.
Increased job satisfaction because of the increased flexibility and reduced stress of a traditional office environment.
I am a believer in remote work. I contend that it may be one of the best ways to rebuild the employee-company loyalty that has been lost in the past 20–30 years. Likewise, I think companies that innovate in this front the fastest will also find the smartest and most efficient employees from any corner of the world that have higher company commitment and work satisfaction, leading to less employee turnover. In fact, a study from Owl Labs showed that companies that allow remote work experience 25% less employee turnover.
According to Gallup, 9 in 10 remote workers want to maintain some remote work. “Going forward, 91% of U.S. workers that spend at least some time working from home ‘hope their ability to work at home persists.’”
Top remote work statistics in 2022 (Source: CodeSummit)
16% of companies worldwide are fully remote
62% of US workers between 22-65 say they work from home at least occasionally
75% of global workers believe remote working is the new normal
Remote work has grown 91% over the past 10 years
Remote work has increased by 44% in the past 5 years
52% of workers worked from home at least once a week prior to the pandemic
97% of employees want their work to be at least partially remote in the future
74% of professionals expect remote working to become the new normal
If you are an employer or a manager at a company, talk to your people. Get to know what works best for them and what their challenges are when working remotely. There are nuances to working remotely. Also, make sure you are taking care of your own boundaries and wellbeing so you can be a highly effective leader.
What benefits have you found working from home? How has this changed your attitude towards the work you do and the company you work from?
Further reading:
Remote, Inc.: How to Thrive at Work . . . Wherever You Are by Robert C. Pozen and Alexandra Samuel
Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier.
Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere by Tsedal Neeley
Barrero, Jose Maria, Nicholas Bloom, and Steven J. Davis, 2021. “Why working from home will stick,” National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 28731.
"The State of Remote Work" by Buffer, published in 2020, which found that 99% of remote workers want to work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers.
"The Impact of Remote Work on Employee Engagement and Performance: A Meta-Analysis" by Brian A. Halle, et al. published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, in 2020, which found that remote work was positively associated with employee engagement and performance.
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Your fellow human,
-Jorge Fusaro
Thats exactly what is happening in my work place.