Remote workers: discussing the benefits

Many employers constantly battle with the dilemma of whether they should allow their employees to work remotely from wherever they choose or come to a physical office location.

Although remote workers are changing the way business is done, most business owners and managers sight managerial oversight as a major concern. Researchers have found both merits and demerits of working from home.

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Although there are pros and cons of hiring remote workers, we are going to discuss some of the benefits in this article. We’ll save the disadvantages for another article.

Whether you’re contemplating acquiring a remote workforce in your quest to save your enterprise some big bucks or your employees have been cajoling you to include this option in your current list of perks, there’s a lot to gain from hiring remote workers.

Here are some key benefits of hiring remote employees.

#1 Increased Productivity

This is arguably the most compelling reason for incorporating remote employees in your workforce. A lot of entrepreneurs are increasingly discovering that their remote team is often willing to go the extra mile to get more done in exchange for the freedom to work from wherever they want. Remote employees are more willing to work overtime as compared to on-site workers.

#2 Enhanced Connection with Technology

Hiring remote workers come with the inherent risk of reduced ability to monitor their productivity and ensuring that tasks are executed on time. This is where technological tools like Skype, Teamwork, and Slack come in handy; they allow you to chat, share files, make calls or even hold virtual meetings with your remote workers.

Moreover, modern software like Time Doctor effectively facilitates your efforts to monitor your workers’ productivity. This software runs in the background of the computer where workers are expected to log in when they begin working and log off at the end of their allotted tasks.

This way, you can efficiently determine the amount of time a worker spends on a specific task.

#3 Reduced Turnover

A growing number of enterprises are utilizing remote employment option as a desirable perk for retaining top talent. This is because a lot of employees are willing to stay with an organization that offers them flexible work options.

#4 Reduced Costs

Empowering employees to work remotely comes with the added advantage of saving both the employee and the company money. For instance, the employer will save money in the form of reduced cost of:

- Renting office spaces

- Hiring janitorial services

- Buying furniture

- Paying for electricity among other overhead costs

Hiring top talent beyond the company’s commuting radius, which allows you to have the most talented individuals joining your team at a lower cost than you would otherwise spend hiring an in-house employee.

Besides, remote employment allows the company to reduce the overall expenses of purchasing and maintaining technology.

Most remote employees utilize their own devices and manage their projects via cloud-based software. They also communicate with their employers and fellow employees through software like Time Doctor, which comes with a webcam and screenshot features for enhanced interactive experiences.

#5 Enhanced Wellness

By eliminating the need for employees to show up at a single office space, remote employment affords the workforce the luxury of breezing through the cold and flu season unscathed, thereby significantly reducing absences.

Telecommuting technology essentially reduces the chances of spreading germs through coughing, sneezing and touching. This way, employees can continue working in the presence of flu, weather-related disasters and terrorism thus reducing unscheduled absences.

Some governments encourage telecommuting as an effective way of ensuring that business operations are not interrupted in the event of a disaster or pandemic. It also reduces pollution and traffic.

The most important aspect of managing remote workers is ensuring that you can gauge their time and productivity, putting efficient communication techniques in place and maintaining a high level of trust. This is where communication tools and task management software come in handy. Such tools ensure that every worker is kept in the loop while being able to communicate any work-related issues.

These are some of the advantages of hiring remote workers. There are disadvantages as well which we will discuss in another article.