What industries allow remote working the most & is it working?
Remote working is a concept that is around 20 years old. Before that, only 9 percent of US workers worked from home occasionally. But, this percentage is now approx 40 percent. Over the last 10 years, the number of remote workers grew to 103 percent.
Remote work is rising continuously in many industries, small as well as large. But, what does it take to run a smooth and successful remote work policy?
FlexJobs launched an annual list of 100 companies to watch for remote jobs. There are several industries in the market including sales, medical and health, computer and IT, education and training, and others who are hiring hundreds of remote workers every year. All these industries are posting hundreds of jobs regularly.
The top companies such as Humana, the US Department of Agriculture, IBM, Salesforce, and Kaplan are associated with remote and other distributed workforces. Similarly, Deloitte, UnitedHealth Group, and Dell are also three such companies who have integrated remote working with their work environment for years successfully.
Employees and Employers are all agree with the concept of remote working. They believe that remote working is broadly beneficial. For few years, most of the industries have accepted that Remote Workers are more productive. And this flexibility in work hours through remote working can help to remove the gender gap in organizations.
To classify the result of remote working in organizations, we’ve discussed with the leaders of companies connected with remote working. Here are the views of top companies’ leaders about remote working, and how is it working in their industries.
Telework is a company strategy that comes down from the top
A few years ago, Dell started its remote work policy, Connected Workplace. And recently announced, it wanted approx 50 percent of their employees to work remotely by 2020.
Human Resources Director Mohammed Chahdi approved the remote work program with their business to offer flexible working hours for their employees.
He says, “Support starts with Dell’s executive leadership team members, who work flexibly themselves. We must continually show team members that we trust them to organize their work in a way that meets both their personal and professional priorities.”
According to Mike Preston, Chief Talent Officer, Deloitte LLP has implemented a “Flexibility & Predictability initiative” (F&P) program. The program was established to benefit employees and managers while working flexibly & effectively. He also called the program as “grassroots”. This is because each team has their own parameters and expectations. “But, it’s a grassroots program championed and supported at the highest levels of Deloitte.”
Establish expectations, analyze assumptions, and track performance
A study conducted by WorldatWork and FlexJobs in 2015, found that approx 80 percent of businesses provide flexible work choices, but only 3 percent of them analyze programs to measure ROI. Without analyzing, it is hard to leverage flexible and remote work to reach company goals. Thankfully, most of the companies understand the value of data when it comes to remote working.
At UnitedHealth Group, approx 25 percent of employees are telecommuters. The performance measurements such as retention rates, work quality, and workers satisfaction are measured to verify the ROI of WAH (work at home) arrangements.
The Vice President of Talent Acquisition, Heather Lemke, says, “Our internal data has shown that telecommuters have high-quality performance, a low turnover rate, and an increased employee satisfaction.”
Similarly, at Deloitte, Preston says, “95 percent of our employees use some form of flexibility in determining how, where and when to complete their work.” As per the company’s survey, it has proved that remote work is the key to retain and engage quality talent with it.
Finally, it shows that flexible working hours are beneficial in enhancing business productivity and growth. And, it helps companies to attract, retain, and engage talent for long.
Telecommuting includes flexible hours and occasional telecommuting
Some people assume that remote working must be an all or nothing policy. There are different arrangements linked with different industries, teams, and departments. And can work better for each party individually.
For example, Deloitte, UnitedHealth Group, and Dell provide multiple remote work choices. These options are beneficial for both employees as well as businesses.
- Occasional teleworking (some days in the traditional office space, some at home)
- Full-time remote working
- Part-time or hybrid telecommuting
- Flexible working schedule
- Compressed work weeks
Always remember, a successful remote work should be customized to meet or fulfill the goals of the company. To manage the productivity and effectiveness, you have to pay attention to the major key features including company-wide deployment, full support, and regular tracking.
A successful remote work environment is related to both the business and employees wellness. All the benefits companies achieve through flexible working hours represent that remote work is working efficiently and effectively. Telecommuting has changed the definition of high-performance workers. It is proved that remote work has many benefits over a traditional workplace environment. By implementing telecommuting with your business, you can setup your workspace to reach your company needs. Also, for startups or new businesses, it is a perfect way to keep operating and managing costs low.
With the adoption telecommuting with your business. You can setup your workspace to reach your company needs. Also, for startups or new businesses, it is a perfect way to keep operating and managing costs low.
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