As part of an older generation, I am a little late to the party when it comes to having a remote workforce. I am used to doing everything face-to-face. But I have learned, firsthand, the advantages of adding remote options for my team.
We have used VoIP phones for over 5 years now. When we adopted the new phone system, we had no idea how important it would be in the wake of a natural disaster. In 2017 we had to shut down our Yuba City location because the Oroville Dam was overflowing, and we were potentially in the path of floodwaters.
The Adept team set up shop in their various locations, and calls were forwarded to their cell phones. Our clients were unaware of our scattered locations. When a team member called out, it showed the call was from Adept Solutions. It was a great experiment as to the benefits of working remotely.
While there are times it is important to be together in the office, there is work that can be done remotely—and can make your team more productive. Here are a few additional reasons, besides natural disasters, why work-at-home strategies, paired with VoIP and cloud collaborative systems can be a good idea.
It’s Good for Your Business
We must be better at measuring performance over presence. The main misconception about employees working from home is that they are less productive. But this could not be further from the truth. A two-year study done by Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford Graduate School of Business professor, showed:
- A 13% increase in performance, which is almost equivalent to a full day’s work.
- People working from home were much better at working their full shift because there were fewer distractions.
- Quit rates dropped by 50%, showing employees loved working from home.
- Profits increased by $2000 per employee working from home.
In addition, the cost of business resources, furniture, and space can be reduced when there is an effective way for your team members to work from any location.
It’s Good for Your Employees
Finding a better life-work balance, having more time with family, experiencing less stress, and eating healthier are some of the benefits remote workers enjoy. In addition, there are cost savings in travel and clothing. These benefits start with the creation of a home office that is comfortable, efficient, and free from distractions. Employers may help with the cost of a good chair and other furniture.
The downside to working remotely is it can be lonely, and it can impact camaraderie among your team. Offering remote workdays a few days a week could be the solution. Experiment with different remote options to determine the best fit for your organization.
The Cloud Makes it Easy
As more of your team’s workload is digitized, working from home or anywhere else has never been easier. VoIP services along with cloud-based solutions, such as Microsoft 365, can empower your small business and work-at-home employees. They can keep your team on track with an array of management tools that allow them to:
- collaborate with co-workers
- join a live meeting without physically being in the boardroom
- learn from recorded meetings
Although work-at-home strategies and cloud solutions may initially seem like a risky venture, in reality, they can keep your employees happy and productive--not to mention being useful during a natural disaster!
Call Us--We Are Always Happy to Help
We use these solutions every day at Adept Solutions--it is how we work…and we highly recommend them. Give us a call and let’s talk about what these services and a mobile workforce can do for your business.
