For some people, it's a new working model; for others, it's the way they've been working for years: remote work. This way of working was low before Covid-19 came into our lives and condemned many companies to work remotely.
According to the report of Quantum Workplace Analytics, only 7% of workers in the United States worked remotely before Covid-19. During and after Covid-19, this rate has reached 35%.
Remote working, which seemed like a necessity at first, has turned into a way of working that employees do not want to give up because of its positive aspects. The biggest reason for this is that it allows flexibility, and it is easier than being in an office environment thanks to the opportunities offered by technology.
Of course, there are also dissatisfied employees and employers as well as satisfied ones. We have prepared an article to answer the questions in people's minds, such as whether remote work is efficient, should we continue to work in this way, and what kind of changes will occur in business life.
An overview of remote work statistics
According to research by Owl Labs, 16% of companies globally work remotely. Major companies such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google have also adopted the remote work policy and say they will continue to do so in the future.
According to Upwork's report, by the end of the next five years, 28% of employees in the United States will work remotely.
Buffer's research states that 45% of remote workers work more than when they are in the office. 42% believe they work in the same amount, and only 13% say they work less. The same report presented that 97% of the employees would like to continue working remotely for the rest of their careers or at least want to have the ability to work remotely at certain times.
Despite all the negative risks of Covid-19, some employers and companies did not favour the remote working model. Owl Labs reported that 44% of companies do not allow remote work regardless of its form.
Remote working allows people to spend less money than when they go to work. Owl Labs reported that people save an average of $ 479.20 per month during the Covid-19. According to Flex Jobs, that amount could be $4,000 a year. Not only employees but also employers can save money by working remotely. According to Global Workplace Analytics, companies could save about $11,000 per year per employee if they switched to a partially remote work model.
Remote work is beneficial for the environment. It helps to reduce carbon footprint and air pollution. When individuals and companies adopt the remote work model, the decrease in the frequency of use in transportation and driving also causes a reduction in greenhouse gasses. Global Workplace Analytics predicts a 75% reduction in driving if the remote work model is adopted.
Reasons for this love
Owl Labs reported that 77% of respondents said that working from home makes them happy. The same research also showed that 80% of full-time workers expect to work from home at least three times a week.
Remote work has been so embraced that one out of every two people stated that they will not return to their jobs that do not allow remote work. 23% of full-time workers have even agreed to a 10% cut from their salary to work from home.
Buffer showed the reasons for this satisfaction in a chart:
Flexibility plays a big part in this satisfaction. People can spend more time with their families than when they are on-site. Remote working offers the opportunity to work not only from home but also from anywhere. People are willing to move to another city as long as they have a job where they can work remotely.
It has also been noticed that people who work from home are healthier. Avoiding the tension in the office environment, flexible working hours, or having less communication with colleagues and bosses reduces the stress of remote workers. The absence of a factor such as a commute that can take long hours increases the frequency of exercise of remote workers in the remaining time. Considering all this, it is not surprising that 72% of the participants in Owl Labs's research stated that they were less stressed and 77% said they managed their work-life balance better.
The commute is an important criterion for many employees. Money, time, and environmental pollution are the worst features of commuting. Remote working can save 40 minutes a day without wasting time on transportation. Air Tasker learned that 1 in 4 employees are more likely to quit their job because of commuting. Remote work looks so practical that jobs not offering remote work or hybrid options may not be preferred.
Exercising is a very effective factor for a healthy life. Many working people are not able to exercise regularly due to the strict work hours, tiredness, and lack of time to spare. Again, the report of Air Tasker says that people who work remotely can take 2 hours and 44 minutes to physical exercise per week. This shows that people who work remotely lead a healthier and higher quality of life than office workers.
Perhaps the most important question: is remote work productive?
We know that whether remote working is productive is a question on everyone's minds, especially employers. Reuters reported that 48.6% of a thousand CIOs who participated in a study by Enterprise Technology Research said that productivity has increased since the switch to remote working. Only 28.7% of the participants said that productivity has decreased. The highest productivity was seen in the IT divisions in telecommunications, finance, and insurance sectors, while the least was in the energy, utilities, and education sectors.
Contrary to popular belief, remote workers spent more time working than on-site workers. Air Tasker reported that remote workers work 1.4 more days per month and 16.8 more days per year than those in the office. The absence of distractions such as commuting time and irrelevant chats increased the productivity of remote workers.
The same research reports that office workers talk to their colleagues for more than an hour each day about non-work-related topics. On the other hand, this rate for remote workers is 29 minutes. So, ironically, employees on-site talk more about non-work-related issues, while those who work remotely spend less time on these off-topic conversations.
Factors such as the tension in the office environment and the stress managers cause can decrease productivity. The remote working model provides a mentally more comfortable state for employees as they are away from the tense office environment. When difficulties such as strict work hours, commute problems, and not being able to spare time for the family are added, it seems natural that those working in the office are less productive compared to those working remotely.
A new era for business life
Upwork estimates that remote workers will make up 27.7% of the workforce. It also stated that 20.4% would adopt the hybrid model. More importantly, the rate of remote workers will be 58% in the next five years. We expect that such a critical rate will change things in business life.
The remote work system we are used to because of Covid-19 has already led to changes. The biggest change is companies gained a mild perspective to remote work.
We said that remote working increases productivity, not decreases it. Productivity increased the trust of managers and companies in their employees. Companies collaborated with freelancers more. Remote work has made 53% of companies look positive about continuing to work with freelancers. 73% of managers plan to maintain or increase the number of freelancers in the next six months.
In addition to collaborating with freelancers, companies started to benefit from other professional services outside the company. Upwork says that there are more frequent collaborations with companies and services outside the firm such as consulting agencies and accounting firms.
The remote work has also led to changes in management strategies. Managers who know this way of working have started to be preferred. In addition, the importance of using the software within the company is understood. Alongside Zoom and other video conferencing applications, managers need to use management, and project productivity software says Upwork's Future Workforce Report.
Conclusion
The comfort, flexibility, and opportunities for a better quality of life provided by remote working are beneficial for both companies and employees. Not everyone and not every job has the opportunity to work remotely, so a good balance is important for companies to have an effective result.
The need for software will be more, and companies will make a strategy in this direction. Collaborations with freelancers and professional services outside the firm will increase even more.
Remote work is a convenience for some companies and a fairy tale for others. However, remote working with positive and negative aspects seems to be in our lives, even if Covid-19 ends. We can say that the new world order that came with the pandemic will continue to exist for at least five more years in business life.
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