Although most businesses are back into the swing of things for 2019, the lingering summer weather means many employees are probably dreaming of lying by the pool with their laptops rather than heading into the office. Whether to avoid traffic and long commutes or to make the most of a quiet home without distraction, recent research shows that 66 per cent of employees have used the ability to work remotely.
Recently, Indeed surveyed 200 employers and 1000+ employees across a variety of industries to learn more about their perceptions of remote work in Australia. We found that employers and employees alike see the positives of remote working. Employers viewed increased productivity (67 per cent), improved morale (64 per cent), and reduced absenteeism and employee turnover (57 per cent) as the most significant benefits of offering a remote work policy. Other benefits for businesses included saving on operational costs, and the ability to hire the best talent from anywhere. We also discovered that employees who telecommute really like it. 80 per cent of remote workers say it improves work-life balance and 58 per cent say it reduced stress, with almost half (49 per cent) saying they are more or equally productive when working from home.
For these reasons many employers support, and even encourage, the move towards remote working. While 92 per cent of employers told us that their company invest in technology to enable remote work, most businesses still prefer employees to be present in the workplace and haven’t fully embraced remote working; only 68 per cent of those surveyed say their company have a remote work policy. Those employers not offering remote working options could be missing out on great talent.
As flexible work arrangements become more popular, there’s no doubt that for jobseekers, remote work policies could be a deal breaker when it comes to accepting their next offer. 40 per cent of employees say remote work policies are an important factor in choosing a job. In fact, we’ve seen firsthand that jobseekers are increasingly searching for roles with terms such as “remote”, “work from home”, and “telecommute”.
Of course, there are downsides to remote working. A quarter of employees at flexible work businesses believe working from home contributes to less visibility and access to leadership. And, 22 per cent of employees think that remote working contributes to less collaboration. Here are some tips to make remote work “work” for your business:
1. Hire carefully: We all want employees who are motivated self-starters, but this trait is even more important when it comes to remote work. Hire the right people so you can confidently trust them to do their job, wherever they may be.
2. Leverage technology: Use technology to stay in contact and keep remote workers looped in, with as much face time as possible.
3. Make sure everyone feels involved: Employ processes that maintain strong communication between team members, such as weekly update meetings and regular one-on-ones with managers, to ensure projects are on track and employees on task.
4. Set clear expectations to strike a balance: For instance, try limiting the number of days employees can work from home to encourage in-person teamwork and ensure adequate access to managers.
Providing remote working options can be an effective way for employers to differentiate themselves and become more competitive in the job market. While the practices outlined above will help you to combat the drawbacks and enhance the effectiveness of remote working, each business will benefit from determining what works best for them and tailoring their policy to suit. A carefully considered policy can go a long way towards achieving higher job satisfaction levels and attracting top talent – two things every company strives for.
Paul Wolfe, SVP of Human Resources, Indeed
