Regardless of what your business specializes in, you’re no doubt aware of the rise in remote working in recent years. But if you’re a smaller company, you may be hesitant to give such a type of employment a try.
And we get it: your business is your life, and handing over any aspect of it to someone you don’t interact with face-to-face on a regular basis can seem like a risk too big to take on something that matters so much.
However, the world of remote work is far wider and more stable than you may think. In 2020 alone, 69% of people in the US worked from home. In fact, by 2025, the Economist Future Workforce Report predicts that 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely. That’s a huge number!
But if you’re not yet convinced, then keep reading. We’re going to break down the pros and cons of remote working to demonstrate why it can be such a huge benefit for your business.
The advantages of remote working for employees
First things first, let’s look at why remote working benefits employees, specifically in how versatile it allows them to be in their work. Because, while we might typically associate remote work with part-time contractors and virtual assistants, the truth is that there are far more remote job roles present within the modern workforce.
From marketing managers to front-end developers, plenty of major positions are now heavily composed of remote workers. This is thanks to the fact that remote working allows employees to save on the cost and time of their commute while simultaneously improving their work-life balance and making your business more environmentally friendly.
But remote working benefits for employees don’t stop there. It can also help to contribute to a healthier, happier work environment with less pressure while encouraging companies to integrate more modern technology into their operations to boost productivity.
The benefits of remote working for employers
Of course, while there are plenty of advantages of remote working for employees, there are many pros for employers as well. The biggest of which is most certainly the wider talent pool they have available to hire from. Essentially, by promoting and offering remote working, you can attract the best talent from across the country.
On top of this one of the most notable benefits of hiring remote workers is that this practice actually leads to better performance retention, and loyalty from your workforce in general. Simply put, it makes your business seem more desirable.
In fact, according to Gallup Research, the ability for employees to work remotely leads to dramatically higher employee engagement rates overall. Not only that, but such a practice is thought to reduce absenteeism by as much as 41%, result in 40% fewer quality defects, and provide up to a 21% higher profitability on average.
Finally, and perhaps rather obviously, one of the core advantages of remote working is that it can lower your business overheads. After all, fewer people in the office means you can have a smaller working place, which means you’ll pay less for rent and utility bills.
The potential downsides of remote working
While we’ve highlighted the benefits of such a working style, when looking at the pros and cons of remote working for your business, it is worth touching on the potential downsides you might experience.
For one thing, remote working can lead to a greater degree of social isolation for employees, as they’re not physically present and interacting with each other in the office. This in turn can result in a blurring of their work and personal lives, with the potential for them to work extended hours by not having a dedicated place of work.
Alongside this, employers need to be prepared to acknowledge that good and frequent communication will be required if they want to form effective collaboration between employees and create a smoother workflow in general.
Finally, you need to be sure your employees are aware of what is expected of them in their role and productivity output, and that distractions should be kept to a minimum where possible so that they do not interfere with their work.
Outsourcing vs remote employees
So, now you know about all the benefits associated with implementing remote working into your business. But while we’ve talked extensively about how useful remote working can be for your team, if you don’t have the budget to expand, then outsourcing might be the next best thing for your business.
VoiceNation, our virtual receptionists are experts in the field of live answering services. Not only that, but we can offer Live Chat options at a fraction of the cost of a new hire.
Once you’ve experienced the clear benefits of hiring remote workers, why not take it one step further? Consider options that can be outsourced and save you the time and money on hiring in-house employees.
One example you could try is outsourcing to a virtual receptionist service.
VoiceNation provides the same amazing remote talent with even less oversight required on your part. Our live virtual receptionists and live chat support team are highly trained professionals who will treat your business with the utmost care.
Live Chat Customer Service
Our live chat specialists are trained and ready specifically to meet your customer’s needs at a moment’s notice with the same level of friendly guidance and industry knowledge that your customers are used to.
Whether you’re ready to go all-in on virtual outsourcing or just want to dip your toe in the water, VoiceNation has a variety of flexible plans fit for your specific remote work needs.
Contact us today to learn more! And don’t forget to check out some of our other popular articles, including where in the US is best for remote working, the best videos for small business owners, and the history of small businesses in general.