They can continue to work just as they did before, so you won’t have to give up on them and start fresh with another team member. In fact, 77% of employees take into account flexible work arrangements as an important consideration when evaluating future job opportunities, according to research from Zenefits. Workers can set up a virtual office that is void of distractions and comfortable at the same time. A dedicated workstation at home makes sure they are more productive than working in a typical office. Even though many employers are concerned about the potential lack of productivity of remote workers, the majority of them actually find the contrary to be true. Remote work became more prevalent after the Covid-19 pandemic, which proved to be a blessing for many employees.
And such remote work can benefit both employers and employees, experts say. Employers can hire geographically distributed talent and reduce overhead expenses, while employees can gain flexibility, save time, and reduce transportation and some child-care costs. But the impact of such arrangements on productivity, creativity and morale has been up for debate, primarily because working from home offers employees fewer opportunities to talk and network with their colleagues. According to a 2022 study from Owl Labs and Global Workplace Analytics, 62% of employees feel more productive when working remotely, and 52% said they’d trade a slight reduction in pay for the option to work remotely.
How Fertility Benefits can Support your Diversity & Inclusion Efforts
On the other hand, discontent employees are far less productive and less willing to go above and beyond. Many companies find that a mix of the two is best for maximizing engagement. Overall, offering remote work makes companies more competitive because it improves their ability how companies benefit when employees work remotely to attract and retain top talent. With 35% of employees being willing to change jobs if that meant the ability to work remotely full-time. Offering full or partial remote work to employees could make the difference for candidates selecting their next career move.
Finally, remote work can improve mental health by limiting our time with toxic coworkers. This can decrease incidents of workplace bullying and perceptions of a hostile work environment (Høgh et al., 2021), especially for people with marginalized identities. For instance, employees of color, who are more likely to report a hostile work environment and experience microaggressions (Pitcan et al., 2018), may choose to limit or even eliminate their interactions with prejudiced coworkers. A related benefit is increased equity for members of minority religious groups. Jewish and Muslim employees are more likely than Christian employees to experience prejudice and discrimination in the workplace (Cantone & Wiener, 2017).
The future of remote work
Additionally, it appears that we can experience physical and psychological benefits even when we obtain social support virtually (Gilmour et al., 2020). It can be easy for employees to skip their lunch because they feel comfortable. While this might not be an issue when done on the odd days, when done regularly it can skew the work-life balance. Instead, promote healthy conversation around the need for breaks and how they can be factored into the working day.
A separate workspace where they can work without interactions is vital for productivity in such situations. And this is why remote work became so popular in this particular industry. Workplace flexibility is a key topic in the future of work that the pandemic has only accelerated. However, there are multiple benefits of employees working remotely for organizations that go beyond pandemic prevention. By embracing remote work, organizations can create an environment that supports the mental well-being of their employees. It truly opens doors to a more inclusive, accessible work environment, benefiting both individuals and organizations alike.