Top 5 Reasons Why Organizations Should Hire More Telecommuters

The trend of hiring telecommuters or remote employees continues to grow year after year.  At OrangeHRM, over 25% of their workforce telecommutes. There are plenty of pros and a few cons when hiring employees that work from home. It can be more challenging to build a “team” environment and to manage employees that work from home.  The benefits of telecommuting far outweigh the negatives. Here are the top 5 reasons why organizations should hire more telecommuters:

1. Improved Employee Morale. A study from the Pennsylvania State University showed that telecommuters are generally happier and less stressed than their office-working counterparts.  Waking up before dawn, skipping breakfast, driving in traffic, and waiting for a late train can all add stress to an employee.  Let’s not forget that working from home will improve the employee’s work-life balance.  A higher rate of employee satisfaction will lead to higher performance.

2. Wider Talent Pool. Offering telecommuting positions enables organizations to access a global talent pool.  If a position isn’t limited to a specific geography, the organization will receive a higher number of quality applicants.

3. Improved Productivity. It’s a common misconception that employees are less productive when working from home.  Studies have shown that if an organization does their proper due diligence and hired an employee that is suited for the telecommuting life, the employee will be far more productive from home. The employer also needs to hold employees accountable for their productivity.  An effective way to do this is to ask employees what tasks they plan on completing on a given day and to follow up by asking what they accomplished at the end of the day.

Although the social aspect of working from an office is great, it can also be a negative as office chit-chats and politics can be very distracting.  The flexibility of the hours also means that employees aren’t restricted by office hours.  Once employees check out of the office, they mentally check out as well.

4. Cost Savings. Employees who work from home don’t have the same costs as office employees. Working in an office can increase your commuting, dry cleaning, and eating costs. The decrease in costs and increase in work-life balance will make any position your organization offers a lot more appealing to candidates. This in turn will decrease compensation expectations.  Telecommuters are often “contractors” and provide their own equipment and office space which decreases overhead costs.

5. Reduced Down Time. Employees no longer have to lose an entire work day because they have a court date or doctor’s appointment. They don’t need to miss a day of work because their kids, parents, or spouses are sick.