Why the Remote Workforce is Rapidly Becoming the Norm and What are the Benefits of Working from Home
When you think about a morning commute, what goes through your head? Driving on the highway, taking a bus, getting on the subway or train? Whatever you think of, the “morning commute” for a rising number of people is simply getting from their bed to whatever home office they have set up (or local coffee shop). That’s all thanks to the rising trend of work at home employees. And it’s not just becoming a select handful of employees or professions either – a remote workforce is rapidly becoming the norm, and you need to be prepared for when this shift takes place.
8 Statistics You Need to Know About Work at Home Programs
Work at home programs are continually sought after by job seekers and employees at their current companies, and it’s not hard to understand why: the lure of no commute, a more comfortable environment, and the opportunity to spend more time with their family almost falls into the “too good to be true” category of life. But what should you know about work at home employees? Here are 8 work from home statistics you need to know:
- Though you might visualize the typical work at home agent to be in his or her mid-twenties, the average age of a work at home employee is 49 years old.
- A study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that more companies were planning on introducing work at home opportunities over any other benefit.
- Although they may work remotely, these employees are not on their own – one in every five people are estimated to be working from home at least one day a week. That’s 30 million people of the 140 million who have jobs.
- Working from home is quite a money saver for the employee and employer – according to BOLT Insurance, businesses enabling employees to work at home would save $11,000 a year per employee, and the employee would “save between $2,000-$7,000 a year.”
- Sound too good to be true? Consider this: in 2013-2014, “Federal employees in Washington who worked from home during four official snow days saved the government an estimated $32 million.” That’s hardly small change!
- From 2005 to 2012 there was a humongous surge in work at home employees. How big? A 79.7% increase in telecommuting occurred during that time.
- With a leap that big you might think the remote workforce push is slowing down. Not so; in fact, expect working from home to grow. We’re currently in year two of a five year expected growth period where working from home could spike 63% (from 2013-2018).
- Worried about productivity? Don't be. There are plenty of examples how work at home programs can help increase productivity. For example, Best Buy saw a 35% increase in productivity thanks to its flexible work program.
What Can These Work at Home Statistics Teach Us?
Work at home programs are rapidly being rolled out, much to the benefit of the employee and employer. The remote agent is much happier without sacrificing work ethic or performance, and the employer is getting a much higher ROI while keeping up with the rising trends and demands of what a job candidate might expect from their employer. Simply put: get on board now with work at home programs – you’ll gain a competitive edge, have a much higher employee satisfaction rate, and your company will gain more because of it.
Like the sound of this but don't know where to start? Work@Home hiring models provide excellent examples of efficient and effective hiring processes. You can learn more about Work@Home hiring by downloading your free copy of “5 Critical Steps to Hiring the Right Work@Home Representative” below.
Topics: Talent Selection Ideas