Death of the Office Space (5 Pros of Remote Work)

By David Atherstone |

Before I begin, I need to acknowledge that this is not a one size fits all approach. I realize that companies require office space for their business to run in the manner it was designed. My articles’ main focus is on Construct and the tech industry at large.

For the last few years, we have seen the growing trend of remote working, specifically within the tech industry. Due to COVID-19, it has been an approach that many businesses have had to adapt to survive. Still, many companies and employees see the greater benefits and finally understand what many businesses before had already realized. When taking a deeper look into it, remote work has benefits companies would be remiss to ignore.

“When taking a deeper look into it, remote work has benefits companies would be remiss to ignore.”

1. Financial benefits for employers and employees

Firstly, and arguably the most important aspect of remote working, is the employer and employee’s financial benefits. Without a massive office space to host all their employees, employers would be incurring massive savings in rental, overheads, equipment, etc. Perhaps only having a small satellite office should there be a need for an in-person meeting or some employees who may occasionally need a faster internet connection.. For employees, without the need to commute into an office every day, the savings on fuel and vehicle wear and tear alone are too great to ignore.

2. Increases in productivity

There has often been an assumption that should people be allowed to work remotely, they would be lazier and less productive. Over the last few years, many researchers have debunked this myth, stating that remote workers are more productive than their in-office counterparts. As we know, not everyone is productive during the same hours of the day. There are often multiple distractions in an office environment. However, giving employees working autonomy shows that productivity increases as they can work during their most productive hours while still meeting deadlines and producing high-quality work.

3. Improved work/life balance

It’s no secret that work/life balance is often one of the first things to be sacrificed to pursue a career, but with remote working, that is no longer becoming an issue. With the hours that would otherwise be spent commuting to and from work, people have more time to spend with their families. With autonomous work hours, the need for sacrifice almost completely disappears if employees are able to maximize their family time and continue to produce the work that is expected of them through remote working. This is something that all employers should want for their employees. An added life benefit is that remote work allows employees to travel while still working, not worrying about when they can next take leave.

4. Access to a broader workforce

As companies grow and expand, there comes a need for the company workforce to expand with it. With conventional office spaces, companies are limited to hiring employees situated in the same city as them, limiting the pool of talent they have access to. But with people and companies moving more toward the remote work approach, this significantly opens up the talent pool that companies have access to. With being able to hire people from all over the world, companies can now make sure they are getting the absolute best person for the job and not needing to settle due to geographic limitations. With the possibilities that this opens up for companies, it feels like it would be detrimental to themselves not to take full advantage of it.

5. Minimizing your carbon footprint

Unsurprisingly, this is not something that a lot of companies take into account. Without using physical office space for all its employees, companies can significantly reduce their carbon footprint, which can not be ignored. Without the need for employees to commute to work, their need for fossil fuels like petrol and diesel significantly decreases, which decreases their carbon emissions. Without an office space, companies’ energy usage significantly decreases, too, without the need to cool or heat a space depending on the season. Then, there is also the amount of waste produced by an office, to name a few. If we want to leave a healthy earth for future generations, companies need to be more mindful of the above factors.

All of the above points are simply the tip of the remote working iceberg. There are a plethora of reasons for companies to consider adopting a more remote working culture. One can even argue that if companies are ignoring these benefits, they are doing themselves a disservice. Companies can no longer only consider their bottom line, the world as we know it is changing and evolving, and companies need to evolve with it if they hope to remain relevant, retain staff, and be a place that is enticing to prospective employees.