5 advantages of staff working from home

Having staff work from home reduces office space requirements and reduces rent.

Additional advantages include:

1. Increased talent pool – companies can hire the best talent regardless of their location.
2. Increases productivity – studies show productivity gains of between 15-45%.
3. Improves employee satisfaction – 67% of people want to work from home, and 36% would choose it over a pay rise.
4. Reduces employee sick days by 50% – 78% of employees who call in ill aren’t, and are doing so because of family issues, personal needs, and stress.
5. Improves employee retention – 67% of employees would take another job to reduce their daily commute.

How to make working from home successful for both the employer and employees:

Consider the different types of employee roles that could be performed from home- not all employee roles are suitable to be done from home.

1. Start by allowing employees to work from home once a week or a few days per month. Trial it and see how it goes.
2. Working from home is not suitable for all employees – some employees miss the social element of the office, and other employees cannot motivate and organise themselves when at home.
3. Home-based employees need to understand that working from home is not a suitable replacement for daycare.
4. Employees must have a defined home office space.