We have seen tremendous shifts in the way people work, live, and play during the pandemic. Companies used to offer work-from-home arrangements as a perk; now, they have depended on remote working setup to keep the business running.
The question is, will remote working pave the way for small businesses to thrive in the new normal? If you’re an entrepreneur and you’re not sure if remote working is the best way to manage your operations, here are eight reasons why it’s your key for growth.
8 Reasons Why Remote Working is The Future for Small Businesses
- Cost savings
In a work-from-home setup, you and your employees can do your work at the comfort of your homes. That means that you can reduce your overhead expenses, which come in the form of electricity, internet, and rent.
It’s a win-win situation for your employees too since they no longer have to spend on daily commute as well as wardrobe costs.
- Increased productivity
Because your employees no longer have to spend their time and energy commuting, they have more time to do their job. Also, one way to see how productive your employees are is by using productivity and collaboration tools. These tools allow you to track, manage and monitor the tasks your employees are working on so you’ll know the status of each project and how much time they’re spending on specific goals.
- Rapid digital transformation
If your small business has not adopted digital tools yet, working remotely opens this opportunity. You get to run your business on the cloud, so you reduce hardware costs and pay only for the storage and applications you need at any given time.
Working remotely also gives business owners like you be creative in serving customers in a more digital way. You can use design tools like Canva to get better at your marketing content or use cloud-based phone systems to keep getting customer inquiries round-the-clock.
- Save time
Since your employees are working from home, you get to save turnaround time for critical projects. If you’re using productivity tools, your employees will get real-time updates when a new task is assigned to them. They can also respond to e-mails faster because you know that they are in front of their computers at the time you need them most.
- Flexibility and freedom
By implementing remote working, you give your employees the freedom to do their tasks during their most productive hours. Some employees are more productive when they work in the morning, while others prefer finishing their tasks at night. Not to mention that you give your team the flexibility to work anywhere they want as long as they finish their tasks on time.
- Better work-life balance
Employees could spend anywhere between eight and 12 hours in the office, and an additional hour commuting if they are lucky. By working from home, your employees get to spend more time with their families because they no longer have to travel for long hours nor skip family dinner when they need to work overtime.
- Access to pools of talent
If you want to hire more people in your team but you don’t have the budget to hire someone full-time, you can outsource your specific requirements. For example, if you need to hire an accountant only to file your taxes, you can pay them by the hour.
Also, you can choose to hire people from countries where talent is cheap, like India or the Philippines. That way, you get the expertise your company needs without breaking the bank.
- Reduced absenteeism
Since employees are already working from home, they have more time to rest. Some employees call in sick because they get overfatigued by long commutes, on top of long hours at work. By giving your team the advantage to work remotely, they can maintain a healthy physique and won’t take unnecessary time off.
Ready to become a fully remote business?
Don’t forget to check your business’ profitability metrics to see if work-from-home arrangements work best for your company. At the end of the day, testing which work setup will bring the most value to your company, your employees, and your customers matter.
