Today, 4.3 million U.S. workers are working remotely at least half the time. The number of people that work from home has risen by 140% since 2005. Smaller companies are two times as likely to hire remote workers full-time. Globally, 52% of workers work remotely, at least once a week.
Remote working offers a wide range of advantages, but there are some disadvantages to consider.
The Pros of Working Remotely
- Improved Productivity – When an employee works remotely, they’re able to do so without the pressures and distractions of a typical office, such as talkative coworkers and outside noise, which results in higher quality work at an increased rate of production. For the employer, this helps to minimize operational expenses.
- Flexible Hours – Out of all the pros and cons of working remotely, being able to create your schedule is often one of the biggest perks. With flexible hours, you can get regular day-to-day responsibilities done, resulting in decreased stress and increased contentment for employees, which inadvertently results in increased company productivity for employers.
- Saves Time and Money – Employees save time and money by eliminating the commute to and from work each day. By working remotely, more time is spent working instead of being stuck in traffic for hours. Remote work also saves thousands of dollars on gas, parking, as well as wear and tear on vehicles and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
- Ability to Work Anywhere in the World – Another advantage of remote work is that you can work for companies that are not necessarily nearby or even in your country. This favorable situation also gives the employee an exciting opportunity to travel if needed in the office for face-to-face meetings.
- Tax Benefits – If your home office is used exclusively and regularly for business purposes, you may be able to deduct a portion of home-related expenses, including:
- Mortgage interest
- Homeowners insurance
- Some utilities
- Property taxes
- Maintenance and repairs
- Internet
- Since internet connection is technically a necessity, if you work from home, you can deduct internet fees as part of your home office expense.
- However, internet expenses can only be ducted if it is explicitly used for work purposes.
- To calculate, multiply the monthly work-related internet bill by twelve to give you the amount which needs to be 20% of your monthly internet bill, and this is a great perk when addressing remote work pros and cons.
- Benefits of Remote Work for Employers – There are financial benefits when it comes to having employees work remotely, including:
- Reduced overhead – Employers save on power bills, office supplies, and furniture
- Reduced turnover – Because the employee has flexible schedules, it allows for a higher degree of contentment and loyalty.
- Less time and money being spent – Paying for advertising, screening, interviewing, hiring, and training for new employees.
The Cons of Working Remotely
- Limited Collaboration – Interacting with colleagues in an office setting can help achieve work goals more efficiently and effectively, but this can be alleviated with video chat technology.
- Curbed Advancement – Out of sight out of mind can sometimes be a deterrent when it comes to workplace advancement. Again, conference calls and video chats may help solve this issue.
- Increased Personal Distractions – Working in an office situation can lead to distractions, but remote work can also have the same, if not more. A few distractions that may be encountered with remote work include:
- Children
- Spouses
- Pets
- Self-Discipline Hurdles – When weighing out remote work pros and cons, self-discipline can be a huge con. It can be tempting to turn on the television or get side-tracked with other things, so creating a schedule and sticking to it is vital. The list should include:
- Specific set days and hours that you are willing to work
- Have a set time for lunch
- Download a time tracking app to help keep a detailed record of hours worked
- Make time for yourself to include working out, which helps decrease stress and will improve sleep to guarantee the next workday will be productive.
- Make a set schedule and stick to it
- Cybersecurity Issues – Probably one of the biggest con in the overall pros and cons of remote working would be the potential hazards of cybersecurity. You take a huge risk whenever you put sensitive information online. Having a top-of-the-line cybersecurity system is vital. Many aspects can be compromised, including:
- Financial statements
- Usernames
- Passwords
Direct IT Considerations to Working Remotely
At NIC, we offer the highest form of safety for those employees working from home. You will be kept up to date on all of the current cyber threats, so your work remains safe. We make it easy to choose when it comes to providing the highest quality IT service provider. Some of the astounding features we offer include:
- Cloud Services – You can feel confident when you access and send emails from any remote location, which is a considerable advantage for remote work.
- IT Support – No matter what technical issue you may encounter, our highly-skilled support team offers assistance on-site or remotely 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Hardware and Software – Each client has specific needs for their business, and we offer access to the particular products best suited for each company.
- Disaster Recovery – In the world of business, things can go wrong, and when they do, it is imperative to have the best recovery system available. By planning ahead of time, you can be prepared for things going wrong, such as:
- Power outages
- Lost data
- Server failure
A Partner to Support Your Remote Workforce
Contact us to find out more about how we offer the safety and security needed when dealing with both the pros and cons of working remotely. Let NIC help skyrocket your business and open the doors to the benefits of working remotely for employers and employees. Start taking your business to the next level with complete IT security today.
