The recent unseasonable snow here in the UK meant that commuters faced major delays to public transport, and in many cases no transport at all. Even those driving were advised to avoid all but essential travel, meaning that many employees were left ‘stranded’ at home.

However, travel disruption is one of many great reasons why there is a strong case for businesses to shift towards flexible working for employees, specifically working from home. Other benefits include apparent enhanced health and well-being, as well as being a whole heap more ‘family friendly’.

Unified Communications (such as our GiNiEX Solution) make managing and communicating within your business that much easier, from wherever you are.

Here at GiNiEX we look at 5 reasons why home working is the future:

Gained Productivity

Many people who work from home believe they’re more productive because they’re not subject to a loud environment or distracted by co-workers. Working from home can make it easier to keep your head down and actually get your work done, meaning productivity is vastly increased.

Ditch the commute

Not only is commuting often unpleasant, it also takes up time that could be spent doing actual work. Employees who work from home will also spend less money travelling, which may give less of an incentive to ask for a pay rise to cover (often inflated) travel costs.

Fewer days off sick

Unsurprisingly, home workers tend to take fewer days off sick than those who are office-based. According to ‘Canada Life’ employees working in an office took on average 3.1 days of sick leave last year, whilst homeworkers only took 1.8 sick days. This is largely due to the fact that employees who are mildly unwell ie. a cold can still get work done at home, where as they’re more inclined to stay home officially ‘off sick’ if they have to venture out.

In addition to the above, a better work-life balance means workers are less likely to get sick in the first place due to lessened stress levels.

Increased Employee Retention

As well as employees generally being happier when they work from home (so less likely to resign), parents with childcare responsibilities are also more likely to continue working for the company if they can work from home, as it gives them greater flexibility.

An Increased Talent Pool

By having employees who work from home, companies can take on the best talent regardless of who or where they are. Unified Communications Solutions mean that employees can connect both in, and out of the office. This is particularly vital when staff are out of the country, or may have a disability that means they cannot travel to an office.

What do you think about home working? Is it something your business champions?

We’d love to hear your thoughts…

 

Interested in our GiNiEX Cloud Solution? Call us on 0207 420 7888 for a chat today.

Posted in Blogs, Case Studies, Home Working and tagged , , ,