While you might think that full desks and face-to-face staff meetings will help your company progress, there is growing evidence supporting the fact that remote workers are actually more productive now than ever before.
Now that the global pandemic has come to an end, offices around the world are increasingly asking employees to return to their usual Monday to Friday office hours. But for some industries, especially tech, employees have been found to perform better working from a home set up. According to a study conducted by Stanford University, with 16,000 workers over 9 months, on average, those who work from home spend 10 minutes less a day being unproductive, work one more day a week, and are 47% more productive.
During quarantine and periods of strict lockdown, most people working from home initially struggled to adapt to this new way of life, and productivity and enthusiasm wavered. Back in March 2020, the world was unprepared, and we didn’t have the systems, workflows, structures, and equipment put in place like we do now. But, little by little, statistics show that we have become much more efficient as remote workers, and productivity should continue to improve as technology makes it easier. So, if your business is deciding whether or not to ask the team to return to the office for good, perhaps you’ll want to think twice. Read on below for our top 6 reasons why your tech team works better from home than from the office…
6 reasons why your team’s performance while working remotely is better than ever
Fewer distractions
Of course, your team will find distractions in or out of the office, however, statistics show that there are fewer distractions working from home than in the office. According to the Office for National Statistics in the UK, in the country, half of working adults reported it was quicker to complete work (52%) and that they had fewer distractions (53%). Just think, all of those office chats, coffee machine queues, smoking breaks, and extra long lunches, can amount to a lot of lost time which should be spent working. By allowing your workforce to work in their own time, in their own space, you are actually increasing productivity for your company.
Timetable flexibility
When an employee is granted the option of managing their working week around their personal schedule, there is a much higher chance that the quality and performance of their work is higher, than when forced to sit in front of a desk all day. According to the Office for National Statistics in the UK, in the country more than three-quarters (78%) of those who worked from home in some capacity said that being able to work from home gave them an improved work life balance in February 2022. Each person is different, and their working style and strategies vary widely. By giving employees the freedom of deciding when and where to work, they will be working to the best of their abilities. For example, for one person, an early start and a productive morning might be the key to success, while for another, they might find that the time they get the most work done is later in the day or even during the evening. If there are no restrictions on when they have to work, then that means your company will benefit from each individual’s optimal capacity.
Virtual Meetings
Don’t get us wrong, face-to-face meetings are great. But, with advanced technology, the ability to connect with many people from all over the world via a simple click offers companies a lot more potential, stretching not only out of their city, but country and beyond. According to research by Lifesize, a cloud communications company, virtual meetings are more effective than in-person, with 76% of people using video collaboration to work remotely and 75% of those finding an increase in productivity and enhanced work-life balance. 90% of those same employees said that video makes it easier to get their point across. Do you need an expert in Japanese, or perhaps a specialist trained in a certain kind of software not currently operating in your area? Then it’s no issue! Instead of trying to convince people to leave their current home towns or cities, they can work for you just as well without having to move halfway across the world and start a new life. Through this, you end up with a strong employee network, collecting specialists in their fields as you go.
Employee Satisfaction
While from a business perspective, perhaps this one might not seem very important, it may just be the most vital of all. If your employees are satisfied, they are much more likely to work well for you, and to the best of their abilities. In the office, it is much more likely that employees could start to resent certain things, such as a strict lunch hour, or perhaps having to work into the evening when they hadn’t planned to. Things like this might mean they start to perform at a lower standard. By giving them the option to manage their workload in a way which works around them, this way you get the work done when it is due, without having to set any restrictions or rules around what they can and cannot do during a working day.
Cost-effective
Not only will your employees be performing to the best of their ability, but you will also save money in the long run if your company employs remote workers. Just think, no rent for office space, no expensive equipment or utility bills to be paid. In fact, many companies are thinking the same, with 52% of the 185 office companies recently surveyed by the real estate services company CBRE intending to decrease their office real estate in the next three years. You might also want to consider outsourcing as a cost-effective strategy for your tech business, as it allows you to manage your workers in a much more flexible and stress-free way. You can read more here in our article about the benefits of outsourcing.
Hire from anywhere
Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of being remote first is the fact that you don’t have to limit your team to the city where your office is located. Meaning that now you can afford tech professionals with the level of experience your team needs at a rate that your company can pay. By managing a company which has workers in all areas of the world, it allows for innovative growth and more possibilities for new ideas and approaches. Opening up the four walls of your limited office space leaves room to open the mind, not only yours, but the minds of your employees too. So don’t restrict yourself by restricting your workers to one specific location. Instead, plant seeds around the world and watch your business take off!
Top tip: Portugal is a great place to hire tech professionals, and in this article, we give you 10 reasons why.
6 Reasons why your team’s performance while working remotely is better than ever: final thoughts
In conclusion, there are many benefits to permitting your employees to work from home, as opposed to asking them to come back to the office. Times have changed, and in the tech industry, you’ll want to make sure you are always ahead of the game, jumping on the new trends and maximising the success of your business, whether it is big or small. Still not convinced? Read our article on the reasons why you should keep your development team in remote work. Or, if you are looking to hire remote tech workers, head over to our page and let us present you with a candidate shortlist according to the needs of your tech team!
