Why has enabling employees to work remotely proven to be a game-changer?

From an employer’s perspective

Before the crisis of 2020, many employers have been understandably hesitant to allow employees to work from home or remotely. The advent of robust and secure cloud services combined with the proliferation of mobile devices has gradually changed this mindset.

A recent global study revealed that organisations who have adopted cloud technology for the mobile workforce experienced a:

67% increase in productivity

53% increase in employee engagement

43% revenue growth as a direct result

British Telecom saves £128 million GBP (or approximately $238 million AUD) by having home-based employees that leverage video conferencing and remote access cloud solutions.

Another study done worldwide has found that 71% of businesses say that offering flexible work arrangements has broadened their talent pool dramatically.

From an employee’s perspective

The increase in productivity and engagement of the mobile workforce can, in part, be attributed to the employee’s desire to be able to do jobs working from home or remotely.

Given the choice, a survey shows that 78% of Australians expressed a desire to spend at least a certain amount of their time working from home. Of these, 40% expressed that they would like to work mainly at home.

This survey also shows that 55% of Australians stated being more productive doing work from home than in an office environment.

Likewise, 80% of those surveyed reported that they would more likely stay longer with an existing employer should that employer provide them with the flexibility of working remotely or from home.

So, what are the tangible benefits of transitioning to a mobile workforce?

1 – Increased cost savings. A mobile workforce does not require office space which can bring about dramatic savings in real-estate costs. Insurance company Aetna saved approximately $78 million by shedding 2.7 million square feet of office space.

2 – Better customer service. You can provide 24×7 customer support with employees scattered across different time zones. Customers can get answers quickly with your teams simply accessing data securely in the cloud using their mobile device without needing to be in the office.

3 – Decreased employee stress. Subtracting the stress of daily commute from your team’s work-life balance equation will translate into increased levels of productivity and fewer sick days.

4 – Increased productivity. Teams can deliver results for longer time periods each workday with employees distributed across multiple time zones and can communicate instantly with a touch of a button.

5 – Business continuity. If disaster strikes, a mobile workforce can continue working from home or other remote locations that are safe and secure easily.

6 – Zero commute times. Employees can add more productive hours to their workdays by effectively eliminating commute times. Sun Microsystems saves up to 2.5 weeks of work time per year due to the elimination of daily commutes.

7 – Broader talent pool. Providing flexible work arrangements will entice more top-tier professionals to seek employment in your organisation.

8 – Greater diversity. Gain geographic, socioeconomic and cultural diversity with a workforce that is literally from around the world.