Remote Workers: More Productive Than Their Office Dwelling Counterparts?
Who hasn’t dreamed of working remotely at some point?
Working off-site has an almost mythical status as the shangri-la of a working lifestyle. If you’ve dreamed about what it would be like to work from home or while on the road, you might have imagined…
No need for an alarm (I definitely don’t miss that)
No trams, trains, buses, parking fines, or any of the other commuting-related stress
No daycare for the kids
No packed lunches, foot-long subs, or cheap take away coffee
Just the sweet comforts of whatever workspace suits your fancy. And you know what? The reality of working remotely is so much better than what I even imagined.
Remote workers are proving to be a very productive bunch, outcompeting their office-bound counterparts. So why not shed the suit and tie?
Does Remote Working Improve Productivity?
productivity
Yes, studies are showing that remote working improves individual productivity.
Research shows that remote workers aren’t just more productive than office workers, but they also take fewer days off, are more likely to work a full shift every day and resign less frequently.
A two-year study closely tracked 16,000 employees from a multi-billion dollar call center company in China over a period of nine months. ¹ The study made comparisons between employees who chose to work from the company's offices and those who chose to work remotely from home. The results showed that working from home led to a staggering 13% production increase. Th
Workers voluntarily clocked in more effective hours. 9% of the production increase was due to workers clocking more minutes per shift with fewer breaks and sick days
Workers increased their efficiency. 4% of the production increase was accredited to a higher number of calls per minute, likely because of a more “work-friendly environment”.
The study also reported that home workers experienced an improvement in work satisfaction, while their attrition rate halved.
After the study was concluded, the Chinese company offered remote working opportunities to the remaining of its office-bound employees. Over half of them made the switch. The company has since experienced a huge 22% increase in profit.
Workers are happier and more productive, while the employer makes more money and doesn’t need to constantly find and train new staff.
That’s pretty incredible.
freelance
Another recent survey conducted by Connection Solutions, a private cloud provider, found that ²
54% of remote worker respondents claimed that they were much more productive working at home than working on location, either getting more work done in the same amount of time, or getting more work done in less time when working from home
24% of remote worker respondents claimed that they got more work done in the same amount of time,
Nearly 1 in 4 remote worker respondents were willing to work longer hours than they would be if they worked on-site
Over half of remote worker respondents were less likely to take time off, even when they were unwell
Nearly half of remote worker respondents slept better
42% of remote worker respondents reported healthier diets
Over 1/3 of remote worker respondents reported exercising more often
A majority of remote worker respondents claimed they experienced less stress when working from home.
Once again, employers got a boost in productivity from their workers and the workers got a boost in their well-being.
Remote Productivity Tips For The Working Nomad
digital nomad
Working remotely is great.
But sometimes it is to easy to forget you’re actually at work.
Trust me, I get it.
I’d much rather be outside soaking up vitamin D than soaking up blue light from my computer screen.
So when I sit down to work, I try to make sure that I’m working as efficiently as possible. Maybe that’s why remote work is so beneficial because everyone is itching to get outside!
Here are some tips that help me stay focused that you can use:
1. Find Routine
As a remote worker, routine is everything. It may seem like the best way to kill your creativity and motivation, but it actually ensures that temptations are kept to a minimum. It can be easy to find activities to distract yourself while at home. A quick chat with your partner, a check of your phone notifications, midday T.V., or social media all eat away at precious work hours. Distractions such as these are reasons why it is important to create a positive morning routine.
Mornings set the productive standards for the remainder of the day. If your office is in the next room or even right next to your bed, ensure that you get yourself in a good working mindset. Go out for a morning walk, take a shower, and make a brew of coffee before sitting in front of your laptop.
2. Set Goals For Yourself
Goals help you stay motivated and focused. You can easily set goals for the next hour, for the next day, or the next week just to stay on track and focused. I especially find it helpful to use time tracker software, this will help keep track of how long certain tasks are taking. The Chrome extension Toggl is one of my favorites. It allows you to easily track the amount of time spent on designated tasks without having to open a new tab.
3. Make Sure You’re Comfortable
Working from home doesn’t necessarily mean sitting on the couch with your laptop perched on your lap. I mean sometimes it does, but it probably isn’t great for your posture.
Working comfortably and pain-free is a must when spending long hours in front of your computer. Buy yourself a decent desk and office chair, ensure that you have adequate lighting, and get the morning coffee kit that will keep you motivated to wake up in the morning.
4. Separate Work Life From Home Life
It’s really easy to burn yourself out when working from home. One massive plus to remote work is that you often won’t feel like you’re at work, though this can be a double-edged sword. You can easily fall into the trap of working too often. To avoid this situtation it’s crucial to separate your workspace from your living space.
If you’re working from the couch or your bed it can often be hard to get into work mode, and the same goes the other way. When you’re all finished with work it can sometimes feel like you can’t relax because your living room or bedroom is now your office. Set some boundaries, designate a spare room to an office space or maybe set up one corner as a designated workspace that you can easily ignore when the working day is over.
5. Practice Some Self-Care
That morning routine is a perfect time to allocate yourself some “you time”. Don’t jump straight in front of your computer as soon as you get up, take an hour out to do something just for you. Take the dog for a walk, go out for breakfast, or maybe make time for a yoga or spin class. And if you’re feeling sick, sometimes it’s worth taking the day off. Get yourself well, don’t push too hard.
The nature of work is rapidly changing, more and more employees are working from home. Businesses and companies need to embrace this new way of looking at the workplace. The benefits far outway any fears of lost productivity. If you can be an early adopter of this trend, then you’re way ahead in the game of life! Just be sure to take care of yourself while working from home.
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Bloom, Nicholas, James Liang, John L. Roberts, and Zhichun Jenny Ying. “Does Working from Home Work? Evidence from a Chinese Experiment *.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 130, no. 1 (November 20, 2014): 165–218. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qju032.
ConnectSolutions. “ConnectSolutions Survey Shows Working Remotely Benefits Employers and Employees.” Cision PR Newswire, June 28, 2018. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/connectsolutions-survey-shows-working-remotely-benefits-employers-and-employees-300036189.html#:~:text=Whether%20remote%20workers%20are%20able,and%2024%25%20accomplishing%20more%20in.