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Is your business still not offering remote working?

Published 13th Jun 2022

Thankfully, in the post-pandemic world we are now living in, many organisations have fully adapted to hybrid working in order to give their employees the option of working remotely and thus creating a better work-life balance. 

Unfortunately, depending on the industry or sector you work in, working remotely simply isn’t an option for some people. However, for those who are lucky enough to be able to work from anywhere with a laptop and an internet connection, hybrid or remote working is now one of the most sought-after requirements from candidates.

Buffer’s 2021 State of Remote Work report tells us that 97.6% of remote workers want to work remotely at least some of the time for the remainder of their careers, whilst 97% would also recommend remote work to others. With the vast majority of people considering remote work as such a high priority, it would be detrimental to businesses to not offer the option of hybrid or remote work as part of every employee’s contract.

However, we are seeing a trend in the number of organisations that are still not compromising on the prospect of offering remote work to their employees. 

Why remote working should always be an option

As mentioned, specific roles are unfortunately unable to work from home. For example, key workers such as retail employees who work primarily in-store, or emergency services workers, simply do not have the option of being able to work remotely. 

However, for those who work in industries such as finance, marketing or HR, being given the option to work from home at least a couple of days a week will more than likely be utilised by all those it is offered to. According to the Office for National Statistics, more than three-quarters (78%) of those who worked from home in some capacity said that being able to work from home gave them an improved work-life balance in February 2022. In addition to this, more than half reported that it was quicker to complete work (52%) and that they had fewer distractions (53%).

If employees are experiencing the ability to produce work at a faster rate than they would in an office environment, combined with an improved work-life balance remote work creates, there are seemingly few negative aspects from an employee’s perspective. Despite such positive results from those who have worked from home, there is still some pushback from organisations who want their employees to work in the office full-time now that the pandemic has, in most respects, come to an end. 

How avoiding remote working could damage businesses 

According to Global Workplace Analytics, since 2009, the number of people who work from home has risen by 159%. Despite the reluctance from some businesses that are still avoiding offering hybrid or remote working to their employees, it’s highly likely that over time those who continue to adapt to change will be negatively impacted in several ways.

Employee retention is the first obvious red flag, given that so many employees will now be aware of the benefits of hybrid working. With 74% of workers saying that having the option to work remotely would make them less likely to leave a company, even long-standing employees who have worked in organisations for a significant amount of time will be likely to consider looking for new opportunities if their employers continue to be restrictive with flexibility. 

Similarly, employers will face many challenges with their candidate attraction efforts when recruiting new employees going forward if hybrid or remote working is not an option. With the vast majority of organisations now offering flexible working arrangements for their existing employees and new hires, candidates applying for roles are likely to opt for positions where they have the option to work from home at least some of the time. 

To keep businesses driving forward, adapting to change is something business owners need to seriously consider before they fall behind and their competitors continue to scale and grow.

The impact no remote working has on candidates

The stand-out reason for candidates wanting to have the option of remote work is a better work-life balance, but there are a huge variety of reasons why else this would also be such an important aspect of their role. 

According to TECLA, remote workers save around $7,000 (£5,600) per year in transportation, food and childcare, and with the rising cost of living currently happening in the UK, candidates will favour employers that take this into consideration. 

In addition to this, with the current push from so many organisations stating that they support employee wellbeing, the mental health of employees who are unable to work from home is also likely to be affected. With 11.5 million people in the UK having less than £100 in savings, candidates looking for new opportunities will also favour the roles offering remote working in order to save money on travel, thus putting less strain on themselves mentally and financially. 

Get in touch

If your organisation is currently hiring and would like to discuss how to offer remote working to your candidates, or you are looking for a new role and would like to find a position offering hybrid working, get in touch with McCarthy Recruitment – we’ll be happy to help.

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