Opinions expressed by businesskinda.com contributors are their own.
Elon Musk’s recent announcement that Tesla employees will no longer be able to work from home sparked a lot of debate. In leaked emails, Musk told employees who want to continue working remotely that they can “pretend to work elsewhere”.
While Elon Musk is no stranger to making what some call divisive statements, he’s not the only founder to believe that people who work from home are “actually doing nothing.”
Related: How Leaders Can Make the Most of Remote Working
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The debate on remote working rages on
Some business leaders believe that long-term remote work is a financial obligation. Employees who work from home lack productivity, they say. Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt said: CNBC, “I don’t know how to build great management virtually.” CEO of Goldman Sachs David Solomon said the remote working culture is a “deviation” that needs to be corrected “as soon as possible”.
Still, others wonder if this is just a smokescreen; speculating that Musk makes a decision that will no doubt cause a significant portion of the workforce to quit spontaneously creates an opportunity to bypass the necessary large-scale layoffs. Big brands are already waiting in the wings to poach members of Tesla’s anticipated exodus, Amazon is one of them.
That’s not such a crazy theory, as many companies are re-strategizing and considering downsizing amid the recent economic downturn.
Opinions aside about remote working, I believe that having employees return to the office full-time, just as commuting fuel and operating costs are always high, is bad for business. According to Global workplace analytics, “the typical employer can save about $11,000 a year for each person who works remotely half the time.” On the other hand, employees can earn between $2,500 and $4,000 more per year by working only half of them of their remote hours.
In less favorable times, savings like these can help both parties stay afloat.
In the immediate aftermath of Covid-19 lockdowns, many companies found their wings as newly established telecommuting operations. While this was a necessity, more than a few decided to make the shift permanent.
Twitter, Spotify and Facebook are below. On Twitter, Jack Dorsey urged team members to work from home if they wanted to in a company-wide email sent last year, pointing out the positive impact the move had had on his own productivity levels.
Related: 4 Remote Working Transition Steps to Consider
People feel comfortable with what they know
The reality is that working in an office is how things were done for generations. Many who now hold leadership positions have worked their way through this system and understand it, find comfort in it, and perhaps assume that it is the only way that something meaningful can be accomplished on a large scale.
Functionally, it is easier to operate within the ‘status quo’. If your business has always relied on face-to-face interactions, it can seem daunting to review everything in order to work remotely.
As an app development company, it made sense to use the same online tools we believe in and build for our customers to run our own business. Of course, when I was first an businesskinda.com, still in my teens when I started my company, I also didn’t have the benefit of experience in an office environment. I had no preconceived notions of how things ‘should be’.
It turned out that this lack of experience on my part would be a windfall for Chop Dawg in the long run. Being sloppy in the late s, we learned a long time ago to work within our remote-first model. As such, the impulse from early lockdowns did very little to disrupt our web-driven business.
Of course, working in the office has its perks, such as inspiring team camaraderie and more accessible opportunities to build a corporate culture. But it’s not a failsafe either, and simply having a physical factory is no guarantee of cultivating a strong corporate culture, a productive workforce, or a successful business.
Of course, managing a remote workforce comes with its own unique challenges. All business models have their pros and cons.
Here are some of the top reasons why you should embrace remote working in your business.
Related: Don’t Let Remote Work Ruin Your Company Culture
1. Working with a diverse group of talent
The ability to draw on global talent is indispensable. This means that a company can truly partner with those who are closest to their mission; without having to uproot them.
Remote working opportunities are also the foundation for greater workplace equality and inclusion.
Sticking only to personal work puts physical limitations on who you can hire. Many who are chronically ill or disabled can thrive in a work-from-home environment.
If someone has the talent and drive, remote working gives them the opportunity.
2. Wanting a better work-life balance is not a moral failure
Many studies show that shorter workweeks and less stressful environments actually lead to healthier employees, which benefits companies in several ways.
Burnout among employees, for example, is a major problem. Right now, in large numbers, people are quitting jobs that they feel are harmful to their mental and physical health.
People want to live their lives well, with a balance that allows them to fulfill their numerous priorities both outside and outside the clock. This should be obvious, and not something to be seen as a moral failure.
Related: Fear of remote work is real. Here’s how to help employees who have it.
3. Not all people work the same way or have the same intentions
Fighting, striving and creating are innate parts of human nature. Most people really want to feel like they are part of a team working towards something.
When people are given the opportunity to work on something they believe in or are passionate about, they really come alive. They will do their job wherever they are.
Of course, not everyone has good intentions. That is why it is important to have clear expectations and to meet them.
Ultimately, every businesskinda.com has the right to run his business as he sees fit. And remote working may not be suitable for all scenarios, as some simply cannot perform their work-related tasks from home.
But let’s challenge the popular story that the traditional office structure is the only valid or valuable one. Both models can be performed at a high level or poorly.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.