Employees and Companies Benefit from Allowing Team Members to Work Remotely with Flexible Schedules
Long before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the trend of flexible schedules and working remotely has been steadily growing. Going back as far as 2016, approximately 40% of full-time and part-time American workers claimed they were working remotely. Several factors have contributed to this trend as technology and business applications evolve. Namely, the increased availability of affordable broadband internet access, the continued advancement in the processing power of portable devices like smartphones and tablets, and the continued migration of business-class applications to the cloud.
When you combine these factors with the advent of the global pandemic, the trend toward a hybrid-mobile workforce has been dramatically accelerated in the past twelve months. Here are four reasons why embracing the hybrid-mobile workforce model is beneficial for employees and businesses alike:
Considerably Reduce Operating Expenses Keeping expenses under control is a top KPI of any management team. As companies grow, the demand of accommodating additional workers puts a strain on more than just payroll. Real estate expenses, the cost of outfitting office space, increased utilities, and insurance are a few costs that may be avoided with a hybrid-mobile workforce model. Additionally, the disruption caused by the process of construction or relocation are often underestimated or overlooked altogether.
Increased Employee Engagement Employees that have the freedom and flexibility to work remotely have proven to be more engaged in a given workday. The benefit of eliminating commute time each day is obvious but giving the employee some degree of flexibility in logging on at their discretion can drastically increase their sense of work-life balance thereby increasing their overall performance. This is increasingly important to parents of school-age children who must juggle the disruption caused by non-traditional instruction, medical appointments, extra-curricular activities, and after school care. From the employers’ perspective, the flexible schedule model leads to decreased absenteeism, better morale, and increased retention of skilled and qualified employees.
Enhanced Recruitment and Diversity & Inclusion An overwhelming majority of workers feel that employers offering hybrid-mobile workforce options makes a job more attractive to them when looking for new roles and are more interested in a flexible schedule than other perks. Flexible work options benefits companies as much as it does employees. It allows companies to broaden their search geographically increasing the pool from which to recruit more top tier talent. Further, jobs can be more accessible to people with diverse backgrounds and disabilities, giving employers the chance to benefit from their talents.
Increased Productivity The ability to work on the move means people can use what used to be “downtime” more productively. Mobile collaboration tools, like those offered by STRATA7 Technology, enable people to take part in meetings, share ideas and stay connected and engaged on the task at hand, regardless of where they are. When employees work remotely from home or on the road, productivity can be boosted even further. Studies show that mobile workers are far less likely to leave work early, begin late, take breaks and full hour-long lunches, and even take less time off to manage their work-life balance. Flexible schedules enabled by a hybrid-mobile workforce benefit both the employer and employee in numerous ways. Although some may view it as a substantial shift in how you’ve done things before, embracing a hybrid-mobile workforce with flexible scheduling now will help you succeed in the future.
STRATA7 Technology has been providing cloud-based solutions to accommodate mobility and flexibility in the workforce for companies large and small since 2015. Email us today at connect@strata7.net to learn how we can help your business survive and thrive in the new world order of flexibility and mobility in the workplace.