Even before the COVID-19 health emergency, companies around the world were considering remote work options. In fact, telecommuting increased by more than 22% between 2017 and 2018, and numbers were already expected to rise at the close of this year. As more studies regarding work-from-home are conducted, employers are realizing that the remote work trend may be a long-term key to increased financial and business success.
Changing Work Structure
In the age of digital transformation and unified communications, instant messaging, downloaded documents, and virtual conference rooms have allowed companies to maintain productivity in the face of social distancing. Although many feel some sort of personal allegiance when it comes to working in an office, the recent change in work structure has the potential to save significant amounts of time, money, and resources for many businesses.
Perhaps we wouldn’t have been equipped to adjust to this new way of life a decade ago, but with the help of unified communications as a service (UCaaS), anywhere in the world can be an office. An effective unified communications platform is able to centralize communication with a cloud-based solution. UCaaS connects business leaders with skilled professionals who can equip their company with a single communications portal that is accessible via any device and modality. As a result, unified communications closes the gaps in conversations and makes businesses run more efficiently.
With lower turnover rates and higher bursts of productivity, it’s no surprise that working from home has shown itself to be a desirable option for both employers and employees.
The Unexpected Benefits of Remote Work Trends
With great change comes the opportunity for great reward and working from home has offered many unexpected benefits for companies.
Environmental Impact
Working from home is more environmentally friendly than a traditional workspace. Remote work eliminates the piles of paper, disposable utensils and coffee cups, the energy needed for air-conditioned offices, and the pollution caused by daily commuting. According to Global Workforce Analytics, if we plan to work from home only half of the week, we can reduce gas emissions by 54 million tons each year.
Professional Success
More people are seeing an increase in employee productivity despite the current conditions. Since the recent work-from-home order, 66% of now remote workers say they are more productive now than they ever were while working in an office. Also according to a recent Stanford study, employees that work from home are 13% more productive than their in-office counterparts. This is likely a result of home comforts offering a less stressful work environment. Paired with the efficiency of UCaaS that many leaders are utilizing, companies are still seeing progress despite certain aspects of life coming to a halt for the last few months.
Employee Morale
High turnover rates are a major pain point for most businesses. According to Fortunly, companies that allow remote work see a 25% lower employee turnover rate than businesses that work in a traditional office environment. When given the opportunity, employees thrive in a flexible and accommodating setting. In the same stroke, 54% of people would move to a different company if offered greater flexibility than their current employment.
Finding the Right Service
Despite the stressful reasons for increased remote work, working from home has still proved itself to be a great long-term option for companies. That being said, successful remote work is contingent upon the right set tools for collaboration. VOIP Networks has been the trusted provider of unified communication solutions among businesses for decades. Our skilled team of professionals is ready to help your business flourish in a remote work setting now and in the future.
