5 Reasons Why Your Company Should Hire Remote Workers
In the world of business, there are always new trends popping up that help maximize your potential.
One such trend is to employ remote workers - and it’s here to stay. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t totally new. It’s just that the rapidly increasing trend towards remote work employment is staggering. It makes you wonder if these businesses employing remote workers are onto something. (They are).
In fact, there are many benefits to employing remote workers. It’s more environmentally sustainable, reduces overhead costs, and is proven to increases profits. The best part though? You can literally run a business from anywhere! No need for offices, shopfronts, or any of the usual expenses that go with starting a brick-and-mortar business. Not only that, but remote workers are also more productive than traditional workers.
How is this possible?
Check it out.
Why Your Business Should Hire Remote Workers
1. Remote Work Is On The Rise
For those employers thinking about allowing employees to work remotely, be assured that there are many, many examples of very successful businesses employing remote workers.
Just to mention a few big names, American Express, Xerox, Amazon, and Dell all employ workers that don’t work on-site. If the big guys are doing it, you can be sure it’s a good indication that the move towards remote work is a trend that’s here to stay.
Stay ahead of the crowd, it may be the very thing that gets your business off the ground and on its way to success.
2. More People Want To Work Remotely
Millennials (those born between 1980 and 2000) now make up the biggest portion of the American workforce, more than 35%. ¹ This number is forecast to rise to 50% by 2020 and 75% by the year 2025. ²
For millenials, it seems remote work is not just a fantasy anymore that is available to the select few. It’s becoming mandatory. The annual freelancing study of 2021 by Upwork has found that 54% new freelancers say that the ability to work remotely is a top draw, and 85% of us prefer working from home all of the time. ³ That’s a substantial amount of the workforce that now works remotely or prefers to work in this way.
3. Hiring Remote Workers Saves You Money
save money
The growing (remote) workforce is especially good news for startup or small businesses that are on a shoestring budget.
Because remote workers can save your business money in a big way.
First, commercial building rentals are costly. The average monthly rent for office space varies from $1.74 to $6.16 per square foot in the US. This equates to some very expensive office spaces, depending on where you are. The average cost of office space that allows 200 square feet per employee could cost anywhere from $4,194 to $14,800 annually. ⁴
This adds up quick, and it doesn’t even include insurance, cleaning, utilities, or any of the other costs that go with running a commercial space. Compare that to a business that employs remote workers and you’ve immediately eliminated basically all office space costs. That is a massive savings! It could be the difference between your business staying afloat or going bankrupt.
4. Having A Remote Team Saves The Planet
There are some big environmental benefits to remote work as well as the benefits to the individual and your budget.
The obvious advantage of remote work is that there is no need to commute to an actual workspace. The commute time to work for the average American is between 60-80 minutes, which can easily be eliminated with remote work.For many of us, this will mostly mean big savings on time and money but it will also lessen your environmental impact.
If employees worked off-site even just half of the time, they would reduce the release of 54 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere equal to 119 billion miles of highway driving. ⁵ That’s the equivalent of 640 million barrels of oil to the cost of a staggering $64 billion USD.
Again, good for you - and good for the planet.
Fewer office work also means a decrease in the consumption of office resources. The more workers there are telecommuting, the less use of office consumables like print paper, pens, pencils, and basically all that other stuff that we use mindlessly when working in an office.
It also reduces overall energy consumption that is needed to run an office space day-to-day. It’s also just really good for your image. People pay attention to how companies conduct their businesses these days and are more likely to shop with a brand that supports a cause they believe in. ⁶
So remote work can save you money and make you money.
5. Remote Workers Work Harder
freelancer
When you compare the productivity of remote workers to office workers, the findings are clear: Remote workers are less distracted.
Many remote workers say that ridding themselves from being confined to a standard office environment increases focus. In one survey, 86% of respondents claimed that they prefer to work alone to hit “maximum productivity”. ⁷
Understandably, having a flexible work schedule increases worker output. ⁸
Whether they are early birds or night owls, having the ability to be more flexible with their work hours helps maximize energy levels and focus to get more work done.
Another study shows that 82% of remote workers say that working off-site helps reduce stress levels. ⁹ Why and how does remote work lower stress?
Remote workers not only skip their daily work commute but they also have a better work-life balance, building their work around their lives rather than the other way around.
And lastly, research shows that heightened levels of stress impairs short-term learning and negatively affects important concentration areas of the brain. ¹⁰
Basically, less stress = more productivity.
And, as you can see the evidence stacks up. Whether starting a new business or looking to give your company the edge factor it needs to prosper, do yourself a favor and consider employing remote workers.
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Pew Research Center. “Millennials Are Largest Generation in the U.S. Labor Force,” May 22, 2023. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/11/millennials-largest-generation-us-labor-force/.
Economy, Peter. “The (Millennial) Workplace of the Future Is Almost Here -- These 3 Things Are about to Change Big Time.” Inc.Com, February 6, 2020. https://www.inc.com/peter-economy/the-millennial-workplace-of-future-is-almost-here-these-3-things-are-about-to-change-big-time.html.
Upwork Inc. “UpWork Study Finds 59 Million Americans Freelancing amid Turbulent Labor Market | Upwork Inc.,” n.d. https://investors.upwork.com/news-releases/news-release-details/upwork-study-finds-59-million-americans-freelancing-amid.
French, Sally. “Here’s How Much Your Company Pays to Rent Office Space.” MarketWatch, May 27, 2015. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-how-much-your-company-pays-to-rent-office-space-2015-05-27.
Global Workplace Analytics. “Latest Work-at-Home/Telecommuting/Remote Work Statistics - Global Workplace Analytics,” January 18, 2022. https://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/telecommuting-statistics.
Lellahom, Monaem Ben. “Cause-Related Marketing: A Win-Win For Brands, Charities And The Consumer.” Entrepreneur, July 18, 2017. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/297333.
Schall, Marie Antoinette. “The Relationship between Remote Work and Job Satisfaction: The Mediating Roles of Perceived Autonomy, Work-Family Conflict, and Telecommuting Intensity.” SJSU ScholarWorks, n.d. https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/5017/.
Sebag-Montefiore, Liz. “Flexible Working Hours = Increased Productivity and Engagement.” Undercover Recruiter, May 9, 2022. https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/flex-productivity-engagement/.
BeeAdmin. “How Remote Working Can Benefit Businesses - Sensible Choice.” Sensible Choice, October 20, 2021. https://sensiblechoice.co.uk/how-remote-working-can-benefit-businesses/.
ScienceDaily. “Short-Term Stress Can Affect Learning And Memory,” March 8, 2008. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311182434.htm.