The nature of how business is conducted has changed monumentally in the last several years. With an increasingly global economy and near-constant technological advancements, companies looking to stay ahead of the curve have needed to revamp entire aspects of their operations. For many companies, this includes one of the biggest items of all: their workforce itself.

Chief among these changes in the workforce is the hiring of remote workers. While the concept of remote work or “telecommuting” is not entirely new (it was started by IBM as far back as the 1970s), its prevalence and efficiency are modern developments. Remote work is now so widely accepted and sought-after by employees that as many as 30% would consider changing employers if remote work were no longer offered.

This has obvious impacts on companies looking to attract top talent, but that’s far from the only advantage that hiring remote workers brings a company. 

In this article, we’ll look at some of the biggest benefits of hiring remote workers, and what competitive advantages they can bring to an organization. Taken in total, the benefits of hiring remote workers can easily revitalize a stagnant workforce or elevate a solid one to a whole new level.

What Are the Benefits of Hiring Remote Workers? 

The primary benefits of hiring remote workers apply to efficiency, costs, employee satisfaction, and the quality of the talent available. They therefore touch myriad aspects of the employee-employer relationship and shape it for the better. 

In this section, we’ll explore the benefits one-by-one: 

Efficiency

First and foremost on any effective leader’s mind will always be the topic of productivity. The size and quality of a company’s employees are almost irrelevant if their productivity is low. If the largest, most educated workforce imaginable isn’t actually performing when they’re at work, the results will still be poor.

And that’s where hiring remote workers can become a company’s biggest advantage. Remote workers widely report being more productive, and studies show that their perceptions match reality. These results have been duplicated in company after company, field after field. While some industries that require physical assembly or skills will obviously not have as many remote options, those that do can expect to see universally better results out of their employees.

Why? Well, focus, for one example. A large portion of the traditional office can be described as a distraction in one way or another. Large, unnecessary meetings where some employees don’t even speak, co-worker gossip and chatter, and a symphony of noises from adjacent workers and managers. All of this can cause an employee to lose focus.

Remote workers have no such distractions. Add in the fact that flexible scheduling allows employees to work when they’re most productive (rather than an arbitrary time that could be extremely inconvenient for individual employees), and it’s easy to see how hiring remote workers would boost a company’s productivity and efficiency.

Cost-Saving

A common misconception is that a switch to a remote work or hybrid model will increase a company’s overhead. The opposite is true. Hiring remote workers can give companies and organizations space to free up costs in areas that they typically wouldn’t even look at. Expensive office leases, furniture, cleaning and maintenance can easily add up to a large hit to the bottom line. Companies carrying a large remote workforce can possibly look at these previously “fixed” costs and eliminate some of them altogether.

That’s to say nothing of the other, smaller ways remote work can save a company money. Reduced usage of office supplies, fewer man-hours lost to sick days, utility costs, and others can also add up quickly. While employees may need some purchase allowances for supplies and similar items, the cost of providing these pales in comparison to the enormous overhead costs that large, traditional offices have shackled to them.

Stronger Talent

It is well-known that certain areas often have a disproportionate amount of skilled employees in a particular industry or business. New York City’s finance community, Silicon Valley’s tech workers, and booming hospitality and tourism in Florida would be just a handful of examples. Previously, a company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, would need to offer relocation packages or shockingly lucrative salaries to lure these employees away.

That’s all changed. A company utilizing remote workers can now secure talent from around the world, regardless of where their company may be physically located. The value of this advantage cannot be overstated. Whereas companies using a “traditional” office model will have a radius of maybe 30 miles from which to find top talent, a remote-first company can be more selective. They, quite literally, have the whole world to choose from.

Companies that keep doing things the old way will likely put themselves at a disadvantage on this topic eventually. Nearly half of all workers are actively seeking to work remotely, meaning companies that don’t offer such an arrangement will have top talent shy away from the organization before even learning about it. Worse yet, that same talent may well land at a competitor who offers a more flexible arrangement.

Happier Employees

As discussed above, many employees prefer a remote work arrangement. Implementing one is sure to be a positive for much of an organization’s staff, while potentially luring new talent in as well. But it’s more than just convenience.

Remote workers will not have transportation costs anywhere near that of their non-remote peers. By removing fuel, wear & tear, and maintenance costs from an employee’s life, the employer is effectively putting money back in their pocket. This can also impact salary considerations and be the difference-maker if a potential new hire is choosing between two otherwise similar organizations.

Happier employees are also more likely to be engaged, and less likely to quit. This, again, boosts productivity, while also reducing recruiting, onboarding, and training costs for the business. The better an organization’s employee retention is, the more money they can save (and profit they can earn) in the long run.

The Benefits of Hiring Remote Workers Are Clear — What’s Stopping You? 

These are just a few of the many benefits of hiring remote workers. Other considerations, such as environmental impacts, mental health, and time-saving measures also support companies transitioning to a remote work model. It’s no surprise that remote work is continuing to increase in prevalence, with all signs pointing to that trend continuing.

Making the decision to modernize your business and to start bringing in more talented, efficient employees is a smart one, but the process can seem complicated at first. Fortunately, there are systems that can support leaders making these changes. 

RemotePass provides a streamlined hiring and onboarding process to switching to (and managing) remote teams a seamless process. With RemotePass you can manage contracts, payroll, and benefits in a single solution, removing the hassle from going remote. Get started with your remote team today.