It’s Time to Take Advantage of Remote Working

Remote working has been in the spotlight recently thanks to a leaked memo from the Yahoo! offices. The company once had a very liberal view upon remote working, though now the company has stated “we need to be one Yahoo!, and that starts with physically being together.”

There were over 200 employers who took advantage of the remote working system before the new regime was implemented in June, meaning there are a lot of people who are left now having to commute to work. Whilst this could be a positive move for the huge company, those who work in SMEs could benefit hugely from remote working.

Helping employees

Many of the Yahoo! employees are disheartened by the changes made as the option to remote work was a massive factor for them financially. This means the employees will be out of pocket unless commuting is covered by the company, which looks unlikely.

By allowing employees to remote work, you’re not only saving time on commuting, but saving them money as well. While your business might cover costs to meetings and such, very few companies will cover the cost of travelling to and from work, which can be a massive drain on employee resources.

By helping them cut this cost, you are showing the recognition of commuting prices, which will help boost morale (as well as make pay checks go further). Recognising this boosts employee morale, which in turn will produce greater work from them.

Saving money

Any SME knows that office costs can eat away at any profits very quickly. By implementing remote working, you will be able to reduce your office space dramatically, meaning there are much smaller costs involved in running the office itself.

The amount of money which can be saved through this will outweigh the costs of installing remote working devices tenfold.

By reducing the office size and moving to a cheaper location, you’ll also benefit those employees who still have to commute in. A report by the Daily Finance found that Yahoo! employees worked at home as basic apartments in the area of the offices could cost up to $2000 p/m, and commuting in from cheaper hours can take hours.

Moving to a cheaper area means employees are not only commuting more quickly, but can also consider moving closer to work.

International communication experts Powwownow commented: “There will always be situations where a face-to-face meeting is required. However, in most cases, video conferencing is as good as the real thing.

“We know when working from home, the issue of trust comes up a lot. However, this can be sorted by making agreements between the employer and employee.

“We recognise that remote working can be beneficial for workers and employers alike. Employers save money while employees save time, while they don’t feel like they’ve been cut adrift by the office thanks to new technology making communication easier than ever,” they added.