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Remote Working,Should We Promote It?


Remote Working, Should We Promote It?


Remote working is on the rise. This has been feasible for a few decades with some companies. This is a working style that allows professionals to work outside the traditional office environment. This concept is based on the work does not need to be carried out on a specific place.

Some companies promote working from home concept while the rest of the companies do not want to. When we look at the background of the companies who promote remote working; most of them are the tech companies. There are both pros and cons of remote working for both parties (Employer & the Employee)

According to Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of job platform FlexJobs; some people elaborate productivity as:
"A lot of employers are relying on the antiquated view that if somebody shows up at 8:30 a.m. and they're dressed nicely, on time and physically in the office all day long, they're productive,” (DesMarais, 2015)

Further, she says. "And that simply is not a remotely reliable measure of productivity in this day and age." (DesMarais, 2015)

When it comes to the Sri Lankan government institutes and the organizations what she (Sara Sutton) says is true. They consider the on-time presence and staying physically at the office as productivity.
The following are some of the reasons why a company should promote remote working.
  • Remote workers are more productive and stick around longer.


A Stanford study which  was conducted over 10 months at CTrip.com, a billion-dollar NASDAQ-listed company based in Shanghai found that call centre workers working from home outperformed peers in the office because they took shorter breaks and used less sick leave.

“CTrip's home workers were more productive. The analysis showed they answered more calls and worked more hours because they took shorter breaks and used less sick leave. The home workers also reported being happier than the office workers, and fewer of them quit.” (O'Toole, 2012)

  • You can save money on real estate and utilities.

On the employers perspective this is one of the biggest advantages of remote working. When the employees work from home the cost of maintaining an office environment can be reduced. And the remote workplaces work with digital and cloud technologies.
 Less paper usage, less electricity usage, fewer print works reduce the carbon footprint of the company.
  • Can hire from a wider talent pool.

In remote working the employer has no geographical limitations. This helps the company to access people with better skills and experience. At the same time, the company can pay them less as they are not required to come to the office.

Though there are several advantages some companies like Yahoo have ended remotely working to improve communication and collaboration with the teams. Remote working suits perfectly for some companies and the teams and still, it’s not suitable for every company.

References

DesMarais, C., 2015. Inc. [Online]
Available at: https://www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/6-reasons-remote-workers-are-good-for-business.html
[Accessed 26 April 2019].

O'Toole, K., 2012. Stanford Graduate School of Business. [Online]
Available at: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/researchers-flexibility-may-be-key-increased-productivity
[Accessed 26 April 2019].


Comments

  1. SudarshanaJune 8, 2019 at 3:14 AM

    Teleworking is gaining momentum in Sri Lanka also. You have well presented the benefits of remote working.

    ReplyDelete

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