Your business made it through the world-altering month of March, 2020.
It’s been exhausting, it’s been overwhelming, and there’s still a mountain of work to push through, but you made it.
You made it!
Now that you’re in the process of pulling together a work-from-home environment for your team, you’re starting to notice that resolving one problem leads to another, and it’s enormously frustrating.
You may be wondering if the financial, operational, and — let’s be real — emotional investments of creating a remote environment are worth it. Won’t the COVID-19 restrictions be over in a few months anyway?
Don’t go there.
Let me tell you why.
Even though the expenses and frustrations of pulling together a remote business almost overnight are real, the benefits of remote work will exponentially outlive the required costs.
That’s why we’ve written this post. We want to show you exactly what those incredible benefits are and how they add value to your business in both the short and long term.
We practice what we’re preaching
This isn’t just something we’re talking about because it’s the relevant topic of the day. Creating a flexible work environment is a passion that was built into the foundation of our operational structure over five years ago.
Long before COVID-19 was on the radar, only three of our 25+ team members came to work in the office. The rest work from the comfort of their couches — I mean, homes — and are spread all over the globe. And we’re proud of our incredible, hardworking, and talented team!
Consequently, our passion and expertise in remote work has only increased over the last few years, and now that you need it, we’re proud to pass on that knowledge to you.
So let’s do this!
Short-term benefits of remote work
First off, let’s talk about the short-term benefits of creating a remote work environment, because honestly, it’s nice to see some immediate payoff while you’re working so hard.
Here are the top three benefits of remote work that add value to your business in the short-term:
Operational Resilience
When your business is set up to function remotely, your company can adapt to situations like COVID-19 in the blink of an eye. You may be thinking, “That’s great to know for the future, but COVID-19 already happened, so that doesn’t benefit me now.”
That’s actually not true.
Right now, your company needs operational resilience more than ever. No one on the globe can definitively predict how long our “business as usual” environment will be disrupted, so your business needs to be ready in case COVID-19 isn’t over in a few months.
That’s how remote capabilities add the immeasurable value of resilience. Regardless of whether the disruption caused by COVID-19 is over in a few months or a few years, your company will be better insulated from the incurring damages.
Health & Safety
By enabling your team to continue to work from the safety of their homes, you can breathe easy knowing that you’ve done your part to keep your staff, clients, and their families safe and healthy.
You’re also giving your team the rare and cherished option of continued work. With business closures left and right and over 6.65 million people filing for unemployment nationwide, the option to continue providing for family and contributing to a productive outlet are two incredible gifts.
Compliance
Lastly, if you set up a remote work environment for your employees, you know your business will be in compliance with any upcoming COVID-19 restrictions.
As we see local and federal government regulations become more restrictive day-by-day, a remote work environment allows your business to thrive even under the strictest of conditions.
Long-term benefits beyond COVID-19
Now it’s time to dig into the long-term benefits of remote work. These are the benefits that will continue to add value to your business long after COVID-19 is resolved.
First and foremost, it’s important to remember that even though we listed operational resilience as a short-term value, because it specifically applies to our current COVID-19 crisis, it’s also a long-term value.
Staff Resilience
In addition to operational resilience, you and your staff are becoming resilient and adaptable right here, right now, both individually and as a team.
Just as your company becomes functionally resilient to immense unexpected changes, your team is learning to listen, trust, communicate, and collaborate under the most difficult of circumstances.
Investing in remote capabilities ensures that you’re not wasting this amazing opportunity to build endurance.
Attracting team talent
Long after we conquer COVID-19, businesses that have flexible work options for employees are going to attract the best talent. Why?
Because the most valuable employees you can have are the ones you can trust, and trust needs to be reciprocated. Flexible work environments show your employees that you trust them to do their jobs well as they incorporate work into their personal lives.
Trust is the key to why remote work arrangements are a major perk in the hiring process. But don’t just take our word for it — check out this article from The Irish Times that goes in-depth on why flexibility is a powerful hiring tool.
Keeping your best team
The benefits of remote work not only include attracting incredible talent, but keeping that talent. According to The Mom Project, 75% of women in an organization ranked flexibility as the most important criteria in job selection and being respected at work.
Since we’ve already seen how flexible work arrangements communicate mutual trust between you and your staff, that trust and respect builds a loyalty that lesser perks can’t buy. And not only do your employees want to keep working for you, they do their work well.
We’ve already seen how our world is rapidly moving away from the traditional 8 to 5 work schedule. Having the ability to offer your team a work-life that compliments their personal life is a value you’ll need after COVID-19 is over.
We’ll get you where you want to be
And listen, we know setting up a thriving remote work environment isn’t easy. But we are passionate about showing you just how beneficial it is for the health of your company, with or without the threat of COVID-19.
If you need any guidance in creating or implementing your digital strategy, please don’t wait to call or book an appointment with our incredible team! Let us share your burdens and provide your solutions.
