Telecommuting: the benefits for your employees and why you should consider it.

Depending on your generation, you could ask anyone who is your senior, and they will say the same thing I’m about to tell you; working from home a decade ago was foreign and unheard. Today, with millennials, new trends and the importance of mental health and wellbeing, telecommuting and working from home is the new and upcoming style of work.

 

With this change in the workforce, you could say it has changed the way companies and corporations practice within their business, and the results are impressive. Recruitment Software is changing for the better, and new technological advances and the intense focus in maintaining a healthy work-life balance has incredibly resulted in more than half of Australians working from home, in some form or another.

In this new digital age, working remotely and via our smartphones and digital platforms, you have the opportunity to allow your employees to be happier, healthier, productive and highly motivated within your company. First, I’ll give you the information and statistics that prove why you should consider telecommuting.

Improves productivity.

By allowing your employees to work from home, it enables them to not only be happier, less likely to quit but also they find themselves to be more productive. With offices being quite distracting, working from home allows employees to focus and be in the zone.

Of course, some job requirements may require your employees to attend meetings and group workshops, or perhaps they need to tutor and mentor a recruit. Be that as it may, working from home even just one day a week can improve your employee’s satisfaction and commitment to work.

 

By telecommuting, employees work more efficiently and quickly and have shorter breaks. They don’t have to commute to work or rush their lunch break by running errands and stressing over who picks up the kids from school. Your employee’s job satisfaction and productivity can be significantly improved.

Better for health and the environment.

With the average commute time to be 54 minutes, and with individuals even spending 90 minutes or more travelling to and from work you can only imagine how much of a carbon footprint we’re leaving.

If you’re a company who’s thinking of going green, this is an excellent way of improving the environment. Not only by lowering your company’s carbon footprint, fossil fuel consumption, and energy usage but by cutting down on your employee’s commute time to work.

 

Knowing that we roughly spend 7.5 hours every week travelling to work can seem like such a waste, and we all know what it’s like when you’re stuck in traffic, and all you want to do is scream: “why are you braking? Just go!”. Eventually, this causes stress and doesn’t motivate your team to want to come to work. More time on the road means an increase in fossil fuels and an increase in stress and anxiety.

Mental Health in the Workplace

According to Heads Up, 1 in 5 Australians have taken time off work due to feeling mentally unwell in the last 12 months. With 45% of Australians between the ages of 16-85 experiencing a mental health condition in their lifetime, it is estimated that untreated mental health conditions cost Australian workplaces approximately $10.9 billion per year, as stated by the ABS.

How you can help prevent this or even assist is by giving your staff the option to be in an environment that is beneficial to them both mentally and physically.

 

When employees work from home they have the time to exercise and get out of the house and catch some vitamin D. Being stuck in an office all day can seem strenuous. But, by being able to work outside such as on your verandah or even overlooking your backyard; it can boost and promote a healthier work environment. With no more commute time, you can wake up and hit the gym with no need to rush to the office. A healthy body produces a healthy mind.

Another good point is when your employees are sick. When your employees are working from home, they can still catch up on their hours by working in bed. Using their breaks to go to the doctors. Much better than going to the office and getting more unwell. Particularly if it impacts everyone else.

Develops the work-life balance.

 

We’re all human and have different responsibilities. Being a parent and carer is a big one. Sadly for most working parents, they can struggle in finding the perfect balance between work and family. Having the opportunity to be home with your family is lovely, and it can even reduce the strain within families and couples. Being able to attend family or personal events can help in creating that work-life balance.

Your employee’s schedule can also be significantly improved by allowing them the time. Time to pick up their kids from school perhaps, or comfortably doing their weekly shopping without the worry of shops closing. It adds flexibility to their schedule.

 

By working from home, your employee doesn’t need to worry about what time they’ll get home if they decide to go out and have some fun. I check the train timetable and figure out how many hours of sleep I’ll have if I leave at a particular time to go back home (no fun whatsoever!). If you’re working from home, your employee can enjoy themselves once during the week. Maybe to see a friend AND go to bed feeling socially and mentally satisfied; work-life balance achieved.

Decreases costs.

Within any company, big or small, you want to lower your costs by all means. By telecommuting, it can reduce your operating costs. For example; office supplies, equipment, furniture, electricity, food and coffee supplies, office space/rent and more.

It can also reduce the cost for your employees such as tolls, petrol, car insurance and maintenance, coffee/lunch and parking/public transport fees.

 

Such companies like American Express saved over $10-15 million annually because of their telecommuting policies. In regards to smaller businesses, so we can all see the difference; you could save $11,000 annually if you allowed your employees to telecommute for half of the time, as stated in a report by Global Workplace Analytics.

Keeps the older generation in the workplace.

Within Australia, the retirement age isn’t slowing down. Most Australians are retiring past 70 years of age. The average life expectancy is increasing and the cost of living always jumping. Many elderly individuals are also surpassing the expected period of retirement.

 

They also want to keep their minds active and not wither away. Telecommuting allows them to have that downtime to focus on their health and wellbeing. Your employees can remain active mentally and physically as well as producing high standards and quality of work. They’re able to make ends meet without worrying about their savings. They can save time on the commute to work, by spending it with family and friends.

Help in keeping older generations in the workplace by offering them to work remotely from home. Remember that any full-time employee who has worked for your company for 12 months and is over 55 years of age can request for this, under Fair Work accordances.

Reduces employee turnover.

A 2018 survey from the Australian HR Institute (AHRI) found more than half of millennial age employees (57%) leave their employer each year. With a 32% increase in staff turnover within Australian organisations, you can see how companies would want to figure out what their employees need to stay.

 

So, what do they want? 60% have requested more work flexibility. Within that, the opportunity to balance work and life. Now, employee turnover can never be eliminated. It will always be there as your workers will one day choose to leave. Perhaps to stay at home or they want a different career path.

You need to understand that your employees all have lives outside of work. Encouraging them to better their relationships with others and themselves is beneficial in reducing employee turnover. It also helps in knowing how to lower the numbers and create a work environment your team loves to be a part of.

Telecommuting Considerations

Others may feel isolated and lonely, and even lose social connections within their workplace. Networking is always important, and telecommuting could affect this. There are always pros and cons with any concept or idea. The only way to see for yourself if it will fail or succeed is to try it out. Have faith and do your research. Ask your staff what works for them and if they would be happier given this option. Will this benefit your company? Will this improve your employees’ performance? Answers are soon to come.