How Sending Workers Home Can Save Companies Big Bucks
Effectively working from home is no longer some ill-fortuned pipedream only enjoyed by the few. Although it’s still common to see automated spam accounts brag about how they make “hundreds of dollars a day” without leaving the comfort of home, the actual viability of putting in eight hours without changing out of PJs is growing stronger and stronger over time. And the benefits aren’t exclusive to the employee, either.
Thanks to the advancements in mobile devices and computers, more than 16 million Americans are working from home at least one day a month. That number continues to rise, thanks to research that proves sending workers home can significantly help the company’s bottom line—whether it’s a major organization like IBM or a burgeoning small business without a recognizable name.
How much money can a business save through these practices? A decrease in unscheduled absences, office supplies, and real estate can reduce the company’s investment in a single employee by thousands of dollars. Eliminating in-office distractions can spur productivity, too.
Big businesses across the country have recognized the benefits of offering remote work to its employees. Xerox, Dell, Apple, and IBM are just a few of the names Forbes recognizes as the most flexible places to work in America.
However, not all the big names see the bright side of virtual work. The fear of at-home distractions and unmonitored workers has prevented companies from adopting some sort of remote program, and that only reduces the depth of an organization’s geographic pool when searching for new talent.
The benefits to the employees are clear. Eliminating the need to commute to work each and every day saves both time and money. In some cases, a home office can encourage better workflow than an open cubicle.
Still, the stigma surrounding working from home remains. Without being able to monitor employees, corporations fear that their salaried staff are spending hours scrolling through social media instead of hitting deadlines and contributing to the company at large.
