6 Strong Reasons to Go Remote as a Company
Maybe it’s because your company is eco-friendly. Or perhaps you want to think beyond borders when it comes to hiring top-tier talent. There are many reasons why a company might ditch its brick-and-mortar existence and opt for a virtual home instead. Some of the top virtual companies offered explanations as to why they decided to be online only.
Here are six strong reasons to go remote as a company.
1.You can hire the best job seekers no matter the location.
When you have a regular office, you’re limited to hiring job seekers who can commute into the office. Not so when you have a remote company. According to Trello: “We wanted to recruit the top talent without worrying about geographic barriers, since most work can be done collaboratively via tools like Trello and Slack these days.”
This sentiment was echoed by many other remote companies, including Speak. “We chose to be location agnostic from the company founding, this meant that we could hire the right people–no matter where they live, even being based in the tech epicenter there are still many more fantastic people all around the world!”
2.Your organization might already be remote-ready.
Some companies won’t consider going remote because of the perceived idea that it’s a huge hassle. Thing is, your company might already function as a remote company—and you just don’t realize it yet. The execs at Codebusters stated: “The data systems our jobs use are all technological and Internet-based, so it behooved us to get a leg up on developing efficient and strategic remote work policies at the first sign of remote jobs coming through.”
3.Work flexibility is an important job consideration.
Once considered a workplace perk, the ability to have a flexible schedule is one of the top requirements among savvy job seekers. NodeSource agrees: “We firmly believe that one’s life is more important than their job. So why not focus on things like the time with your family, friends, spirituality, etc. as opposed to being in a car commuting or being trapped in an office all day? It’s a human decision for us that happens to have massive business benefits.”
And flexible work is something that Sara Sutton, founder and CEO of FlexJobs, feels strongly about. “Sara has long been passionate about helping people find jobs that make their lives better, and she was thrilled to apply her own experience as a working mom to help others who want or need work flexibility,” stated the execs at FlexJobs. “As a result, it was a natural fit to build a company that operates with a remote workforce.”
4.It’s cost-effective.
Office space. Electricity. Equipment. Running a brick-and-mortar business can run into the thousands (and some cases, ten of thousands of dollars) monthly. One of the biggest reasons to go remote is that it can be financially beneficial to your company. Says PeopleG2: “During the most recent recession, it [remote work] was designed as a way to reduce overhead and maintain staff. We eliminated the need to pay for an entire office space to house all employees, and instead focused on retaining employees.”
5.You need to practice what you preach.
Many times, companies will implement a flexible work policy, but some of their staffers won’t utilize it. That’s why it’s important to show the importance of workplace flexibility by putting it into practice. Inspired HR said: “We did the research and found that clients no longer want to pay for expensive offices, overeducated people, and huge project teams for relatively simple tasks. Instead, they want authentic relationships and genuine value added to their organizations. Further, we had been consistently advising our clients to work from home, adopt flex-time, and ditch their office spaces; however, the irony was that we were not following this model ourselves. We decided it was time to practice what we preach and go remote!”
6.Everyone needs work-life balance.
Let’s be honest: having a structured nine to five office environment does not work-life balance make. Everyone, regardless of industry or job title, needs work-life balance, and it is by far one of the biggest reasons to go remote. Intridea/Mobomo stated: “We value family and quality work. We know if we can keep our team happy and allow them to live their lives, they’ll want to come to work!” And MomsRising.org agrees: “Remote work is not only highly efficient, effective, and good for the environment–it is great for mothers. The flexibility it allows makes taking care of family responsibilities and work responsibilities much simpler.”
The above six reasons to go remote are just a small sampling of the many benefits of having a remote workforce. So if you’re considering becoming a remote company, there truly is no time like the present!
By Jennifer Parris | Categories: Why Go Remote
