The rise of remote workers and why you should embrace them

Even if you don't consider yourself a remote worker per se, you've likely done work beyond the confines of a traditional office. Quickly checking email on your phone, brainstorming ideas for an upcoming pitch, or joining a conference call while on your commute – these are all tasks that can be done well from anywhere, with no need for either a work PC or a dedicated desk.

The trend toward frequent and full-time remote work began decades ago in the U.S., but only reached escape velocity relatively recently. The 1970s oil crisis, the surge in traffic gridlock (a term that was, coincidentally, coined in the '70s, too), and the rise of stay-at-home parenting all contributed to the very early growth of telecommuting. Then, technology caught up.

Tools such as real-time workplace chat, video conferencing, web conference calls, and more are now readily available and make it much easier for employees to stay in the loop no matter where they are. These solutions enable richer, higher-quality interactions than were possible using just emails or phone calls.

Why remote work is worth supporting

It makes sense, in this context, that both workers and organizations have been increasingly drawn to telecommuting:

Global Workplace Analytics estimated that the number of businesses offering telework options to employees increased by 40 percent from 2014 to 2019.
Meanwhile, between 80 percent and 90 percent of the workforce would like to work remotely at least part of the time.

So how should your organization approach remote work arrangements? For most companies that can support it, it's prudent to do so, as there are many benefits for everyone involved. Let's look at five perks of remote work.

1. Lower costs

Think of the typical SMB's budget and what it goes toward. After the mostly locked-in expenses of salaries and benefits, some of the larger line items will usually include travel and real estate.

Telecommuting helps curb these expenditures. Instead of needing a sprawling office, an organization might choose a smaller, denser space with the assumption that many of its employees will be working elsewhere much of the time.

Likewise, the company travel budget can be trimmed. Traditionally, meeting with a colleague or client basically required taking a road trip or booking a flight. Not anymore. With video and HD voice, it's possible to have a virtual conference call meeting that feels like being in the same room, all at a much lower cost than actually traveling.

2. Improved morale, with less turnover

Why do people leave their jobs? It's complicated, but long commutes are definitely a common reason why.

According to a University of West England survey, adding 20 minutes to a commute had the same negative effect on job satisfaction as a 19 percent pay cut for the study's subjects. No one likes being stuck in traffic.

Remote workers don't have to confront this issue. As long as they've got a stable internet connection, they can work from home, a public place, or a nearby branch site instead of making the long trek into HQ. That's good news for morale and for their chances of staying at the firm.

3. Increased productivity

Working remotely can boost productivity in several durable ways:

Since commutes become less grueling or even non-existent, employees have more time to focus on their work.
The distractions of some types of office spaces, like having to contend with constant noise from an open floor plan layout, are eliminated entirely.
Remote workers can use devices they know, plus utilize the full bandwidth of their internet connection since they aren't sharing it with potentially many others.
Individuals with health conditions that might be difficult to deal with in an office, or worsened by a commute, can more easily take care of themselves.

4. More opportunities for expansion

Allowing employees to telecommute can double as a company expansion strategy to new locales. If your business is growing and looking to target customers in different markets, then remote work lets you recruit workers with more flexibility and fewer limitations.

Of course, there are still some constraints, like needing to be incorporated in each state in which you conduct business operations. But having telework options available means that it's more practical to create job listings with broader appeal. Candidates can apply without needing to price in the cost and time associated with a commute.

5. Better time management

Not everyone is a morning person. But commute-driven jobs almost require you to be one.

With remote work, there's more flexibility in how an employee sets and uses their hours. Telecommuters have more discretion over when they start work and take breaks, allowing them to be productive on their own schedules. And, as we noted earlier, they have more time to begin with due to not commuting or having to constantly tune-out various in-office distractions.

What you need to get the most from remote work

There are a few things that flexible working arrangements need to succeed. The first being the leadership support to create a culture that encourages this type of flexibility. Establishing trust and accountability from the top down, is critical to foster a remote working environment. You also need the right collaboration solutions. The ability to easily create and join a video conference call, plus add context through messaging, digital whiteboarding, and file sharing, is essential.

With the right approach and the right technology, you can create a culture that embraces the remote workforce—and positively impacts the business.

Leonard Callejo is director of online marketing at Cisco Webex.com, a leader in software-as-a-service (SaaS) video conferencing and team collaboration solutions. Prior to Cisco, Leonard held leadership positions at CA Technologies and IBM, where he drove integrated digital marketing strategies and demand creation across all routes-to-market for both, on-premises and software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions. His digital marketing roots go back to the 1990s and the early days of database marketing.

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