Remote working benefits for start-ups

Small business owners and entrepreneurs might have the most to gain from the rise of remote work in the United States.

Remote working is becoming increasingly popular and employees are starting to ask for this benefit in their jobs. In fact, 37% of employees said they would change jobs if they had the ability to work where they want at least part of the time. The source for this data, the Gallup State of the American Workplace report, also showed that employees who worked remotely at least some of the time increased from 39% in 2012 to 43% in 2016. Furthermore, the percentage of employees who worked remotely 80-100% of the time rose from just 24% in 2012 to 34% in 2016.

The benefits for employees are many, including being able to more easily manage the demands of their personal lives. But employers benefit too, particularly small businesses. Here are some of the reasons you should think about building a remote team for your start-up.

Lower overhead and cost-savings

This is probably the most obvious benefit. Having a remote team means you’ll need to spend less on an office space, and you might even be able to forgo a physical location altogether (at least for now). Particularly in a hot real estate market like Nashville, finding a physical space to do business can be one of the biggest cash outlays for a small business.

Having a remote team that does their work from home (or a coffee shop with free Wi-Fi) will mean less money spent on an office space that you could use for better technology, more staff members or any other business expense.

Another benefit is increased productivity. When workers aren’t sitting in traffic for hours every day, or being distracted by meetings in the office, they are able to get more done in less time.

Higher engagement

Employees that work remotely have been shown to be more engaged in their work. This is probably because they are empowered to work on their own terms and that trust can go a long way to increasing their feelings of loyalty to their employer.

An important part of employee engagement that can be addressed by remote work is work-life balance. 53% of employees say they want a role that gives them a better sense of work-life balance. By offering remote work, you can protect yourself from the possibility that your employees could leave for a competitor that recognizes the importance of work-life balance for employees.

Employee engagement is favorably correlated with positive business outcomes. Learn more about engagement and its benefits to your business here.

Attract better talent

Another benefit to your start-up in hiring remote employees is the ability to attract the highest quality candidates. Remote work can boost your talent attraction in a few ways:

• Candidates with plenty of options for employment are more likely to choose a role that offers greater flexibility and work-life balance than one that requires them to be chained to their desk from 8-5. Remote work is a benefit that can really set you apart from other competitors, especially as a small business that may not offer benefits like employee health care.
• Remote work means you are not limited by geography. The ability to find talent across zip codes and time zones means you can find the most talented employees anywhere, not just the most talented workers in your immediate area. This is particularly helpful in niche industries that might not have a presence where you’re located. It also saves on expensive relocation costs.
• Remote work usually leads to a prioritization of work production rather than mere presence in the office. You’ll be able to more quickly evaluate the quality of an employee when you are evaluating their objective results and can replace employees that aren’t meeting requirements.

Remote work is a great benefit for start-ups and entrepreneurs. A remote team can help you save money, get better results and hire the best candidates. For more on managing a remote team, check out this blog post.