1. Lower carbon footprint

When everyone works from home, you eliminate a lot of commutes every day, which helps cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. You also cut down on the mass consumption of electricity and waste production at the office. This can reduce your overall carbon footprint as a company, which lowers your impact on the environment and helps satisfy your goals to be a sustainable company.

2. Reduced operating costs

A fully remote business offers the greatest cost savings because you don’t have to pay for a commercial space. If you choose to have a commercial location, you can lease a space that’s much smaller since you don’t have to create workstations for all of your employees.

Without an office space, you save more than just the lease payment. Other costs you eliminate include:

• Heating and cooling for a large commercial space
• Powering lights
• Powering office equipment
• Commercial insurance to protect the office
• Office supplies for all employees
• Coffee, snacks and other breakroom items you provide

3. Employee financial improvement

Not having to commute, eat out at lunch or buy as many work clothes helps your employees save money. Eliminating the commute gives employees more time to handle personal tasks. That means they may do household chores themselves instead of hiring a housecleaning or lawn care service. They might cook more meals at home instead of dining out. The exact savings vary, but it may range from $2,000 to over $7,000 per year.

This can help your employees improve their financial situation. You might not consider that your problem, but an employee who struggles financially can be stressed and may not be as productive as possible. They could also look for another job that pays better.

4. Broader employee options

When you hire a new employee with a traditional in-office model, you’re limited to people who live close enough to commute or are willing to relocate. You may have plenty of strong candidates to choose from, but you can expand the pool significantly if you go fully remote. Candidates located across the country could work for your company. Your employees can also travel while they work or live a nomadic lifestyle and never give up their jobs.

You ultimately benefit from this expanded hiring pool. It helps you find the best candidates in the field and gives them greater flexibility.

5. Increased employee retention

A related benefit is the potential for increasing your employee retention. Say an employee’s spouse gets a job offer in another state, and the family decides to move. You can keep the employee on staff since they work remotely anyway.

Working remotely can help you keep current employees even if they don’t move. The employees who want to keep the benefits of working remotely may stick around since it’s not always easy to find a remote job.

6. Greater diversity

Not only does remote work let you hire people with the best qualifications, but it also makes it possible to hire a more diverse workforce. For example, if your business is located in an area with a high cost of living, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who can’t afford to move there can become candidates. Someone with a disability who struggles to work in a traditional office could now work from home.

Hiring from other areas can also improve cultural diversity. Having a highly diverse staff brings new perspectives to your business. It may help you better solve issues for your customers or simply improve innovation to set yourself apart from competitors.

7. Recruiting benefits

Promoting a remote work model in your recruiting efforts could boost the number of applications you receive. People who want to work for your company but don’t want to or can’t relocate can now apply. Others who want to work remotely might apply. You might even steal employees from competitors who don’t offer a remote option. The flexibility of remote work is a huge selling point for many job seekers.

With more applications, you have more options for interviewing and hiring. You can be pickier about who you interview, and you have a better chance of finding someone with all the skills you need.

8. More customization options

Since your employees are working from their homes, they can make more customizations to their workspace. In the office, you might have restrictions on how much employees can do to their workspaces. At home, they can choose the location, pick a desk that works for them and arrange the workstation how they want. They can paint the walls purple if they prefer.

Those little customizations can give employees a comfortable workspace that they enjoy. This can help them work more efficiently and make them happier on the job, which boosts productivity.

9. Quieter work environment

Working from home can give your employees a quieter, more controlled work environment. At the office, they may have to deal with loud coworkers, strange smells from the breakroom, coworkers interrupting them to chat and many other distractions. At home, they have fewer interruptions. Employees can choose to play background music without worrying about distracting their colleagues. It’s easier for employees to create the ideal working environment so they can focus better.

10. Better work-life balance

Working from home gives many employees a better sense of work-life balance. Without a commute, they have more time with their families. They can also take care of little things, like throwing a load of laundry in the washer, on work breaks. Helping your employees maintain a better work-life balance can reduce stress and prevent burnout.

11. Improved morale

For many people, having the option to work from home is a morale booster. They can work where they’re comfortable and have a more flexible schedule. When employee morale is high, you often see an increase in productivity. Your company has a more positive vibe, and your employees might be more innovative and creative in their work. They also tend to stay with the company, which saves you on the high cost of turnover.

12. Flexibility

Working from home gives your employees more flexibility, which can increase their job satisfaction.Additionally, you can give your employees some flexibility in when they start and end their workday, which can better fit their lives.

You can also choose a hybrid model of working instead of going completely remote. You and your employees still enjoy many of the same benefits, but you can get the in-person time that can help teams work better together.

13. Improved employee health

Working from home can help your employees stay healthier in a few ways. One factor is eliminating exposure to contagious illnesses. Working in a small office with coworkers exposes your employees to lots of germs. If one person gets sick, the illness often moves through other staff members, which can hurt productivity.

Remote work can also help with mental health. Commuting can be stressful, so eliminating that keeps employees in a better mental state. Remote work can also increase happiness and overall job satisfaction.

Without the commute, employees have more free time to exercise and make healthier choices. Cooking healthy meals becomes easier. Employees can also stock their refrigerators with healthier food without the temptation of the vending machine at work or unhealthy lunches out with colleagues. All of these improvements can enhance the well-being of your employees and their overall productivity, which is something business owners should value.

14. Fewer sick days

Improved employee health helps cut down on sick days, but there could be other benefits as well. Some days employees wake up feeling a little sick, having a headache or dealing with another minor health issue. If they have to get dressed, drive to the office and deal with coworkers, they might opt to take a sick day instead. High workplace absenteeism hurts your productivity, so this isn’t ideal.

If the employee works from home, they may choose to work instead of taking a sick day. It doesn’t seem as difficult to work when you feel a little off if you can work from the comfort of your home.

15. Increased productivity

Another one of the benefits of working from home is that many employees are more productive in that setting. This can happen for different reasons. Working in a comfortable environment can make employees feel more relaxed and better able to handle the workload. The quieter environment can improve focus, which allows employees to get more work done. Other employees tend to take fewer breaks or work a little longer than normal since they don’t have a commute, so they get more done in a day.

16. Reduced office politics

With everyone in one location, office politics, cliques and gossip can happen. Disagreements or resentment between colleagues can hurt company morale and interfere with teamwork. Managers and HR are left to deal with complaints about these situations, which wastes their time.

Without a water cooler to gather around, gossip and office politics decrease significantly with remote work. Employees are less likely to worry about what their colleagues are doing. This can improve morale and increase productivity for everyone involved.

17. Positive press for your company

Many businesses went to a remote model during the pandemic, but some have since gone back to an in-office arrangement. If you choose to stay remote or switch to a remote model now, you could get some positive press about your company. Becoming known as a local company that hires remotely or even getting press on a wider scale can increase brand awareness for your business. This can boost sales and encourage more people to apply.

18. Working from home for yourself

You can also enjoy the same benefits as your employees when you switch to a completely remote company. You may find that you’re happier and healthier when you work from home.

Tips for enjoying the benefits of working from home

Taking a strategic approach to running a remote company helps your business maximize the benefits of working from home. Here are some tips to help:

• Create a remote work policy: Having a remote work policy ensures your employees understand your expectations. It eliminates confusion and guides employees on topics such as communication, time tracking and security.
• Use the right technology: With so much technology available, managing a remote team is easier than ever. Your team may not need every software program designed for remote work. You’ll also find lots of options for different tasks, such as communicating with your team. Test out different options and find the technology that works best for you.
• Check in with employees: Despite the benefits of working from home, it can also feel lonely. Some employees might feel as though they don’t have the same amount of support as they get in the office. Check in with employees regularly to make sure they’re doing well and getting the support they need.

Get employee feedback: It’s also helpful to get feedback from employees. Find out what they like about working remotely and where things can be improved. This shows your employees that their opinions are valued, and it can help you fix issues that keep your staff from being as productive as possible.