The COVID-19 pandemic completely changed the way we live, work, and go to school. And while the country is moving rapidly back towards normalcy thanks to the vaccines, the “after” is going to look different than the “before.”
For example, remote working became a necessity during the pandemic, with more employees than ever before telecommuting from home. Suddenly, instead of having just one or two neighbors that worked from home, people were finding their entire neighborhood was full of people working remotely full time.
Because of many of the realizations that occurred throughout the time companies adjusted to the sudden WFH transition, many aren’t going to go back post-pandemic.
It’s estimated that in 2021, the number of permanent remote workers around the world will double.
Companies have transitioned their operations fully to cloud services in many cases over the last 12+ months just to keep themselves open and allow employees to reach the work tools they needed from anywhere. Now with that infrastructure in place, many are considering this the workplace of the future.
Factors Leading to a Permanent Move to a Remove Workforce
Cost Savings
There are significant cost savings for both employers and employees when teams work remotely. Companies can reduce their office space needs, don’t need as many office supplies or furniture, and save money on office utilities (electricity, water, etc.).
Employees no longer need to spend money on a commute and save in other ways as well, such as more eating in and less eating out at lunch. They also don’t need to invest as much in office attire.
Cost savings are estimated at:
- Employers: $22,000 per year per full-time remote employee
- Employees: $2,000 – $7,000 per year
Higher Productivity
In a post-pandemic survey of over 1,200 office executives and employees, 52% of company leaders stated that their team was more productive when working remotely from home.
As long as employees are enabled with the right cloud tools to stay in touch with their team and reach their business tools, they tend to be more focused when working from home. Fewer office distractions, water cooler chats, and less background noise lead to higher productivity, something companies have noticed and want to capitalize on.
Employees Prefer Working from Home
One thing that is causing many companies to rethink their WFH policies post-pandemic is the pushback they are getting from employees when returning to the office is mentioned.
A majority of people don’t mind coming to the office in person once in a while, but still want to work from home a majority of the time.
A survey of over 17,000 workers found that:
- 48.9% said they want to work from home 1-4 days per week
- 27.3% said they want to work from home 5 days per week
If companies require employees that have settled into a work-from-home life for the past year to revert to working at the office full time, they could risk losing those employees. There are more remote jobs available now than ever before, giving employees more opportunities to work where they like.
Larger Hiring Pool
Imagine, you’re a startup business in a small town. You’ve had a limited hiring pool because of the low population of the area. People in a larger town that’s an hour and a half away aren’t really willing to make that kind of daily commute.
But once you open your company to virtual workers, your hiring pool becomes as wide as the world. Geographical limitations are gone, providing a much wider area from which to attract talent.
When companies allow employees to work remotely, they also don’t have to say goodbye to a great employee that may be moving out of the area. They can simply continue working from their new location.
Availability of Remote Support
Keeping technology up and running, secure, and optimized used to be something that was only handled in person. But with the improvement of internet speeds and remote technology over the last decade, most managed services and tech support can be easily handled remotely.
So, employee devices can be kept updated and compliant, no matter where they are. If users need help with an email issue, they can connect to a technician via video call and get instant help, no waiting on a tech to drive to an office.
The ability for a company to keep their extended network secure, even with it now spread over multiple remote home offices, is an important factor causing companies to see a remote work environment as a strong business model going forward.
It also ensures they’re prepared whenever the next pandemic or major disruption to work-life occurs.
Get Help Optimizing a Remote Working Structure
Leverage IT Group can help your DFW area business put together a secure and productive remote working environment and can streamline operations between a hybrid office/home office approach.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. Call (469) 458-0559 or reach us online.