Working From Home

Hey old timers, this working from home thing is real.

According to FlexJobs, an online platform specializing in remote and flexible employment, there are now 170 companies in the U.S. that operate 100% virtually, which is up from 26 in 2014. The study also confirmed that the ability to work remotely, even part-time, helps employees achieve better work/life balance, therefore improving health and wellness and productivity.

That is a substantial change in how companies operate in less than 4 years.

This movement in this direction will only continue, and GOOD employees will demand this working flexibility moving forward.

Companies that continue to be slow or outright refuse to adapt to this movement, will find themselves left behind in more ways than they realize.

Millennials are leading the charge in the desire to work from home and this demographic group is projected to make up 46% of the workforce by 2020 up 

so companies need to pay attention.

We all know that technology is moving quickly, but it is now even easier to be more productive at home.

Technology tools such as Slack, Zoom, Dropbox and Quips 

which is a document-sharing and editing platform, make it very easy to communicate with off-site employees across the globe.

The new, easy to use and often free tracking tools will confirm in real time that the employee’s work is being competed.

The next question will become, why are so many companies spending tremendous resources to try and drive culture within an office where many people (including the next generation of leaders) would rather avoid that very same office?

It might be time to cut your office expenses and increase your investments in technology.

Most companies make substantial savings performing this action alone.

Working smarter by eliminating energy-draining and time-consuming commutes, useless meetings and forced conversations of employee comradery are all areas that should be reduced as part of effective time management.

After all, time management is precisely what the best business leaders have always preached to their people.

Developing a higher level of self-discipline is required and especially with older employees who may not be used to this type of environment.

Real time metrics or working in positions that in the past were not quantifiable require adjustments, but as with any businesses material, this can be learned.

Don’t be the company that picks up the table scraps when it comes to human capital because you are still dead set against the concept of employees working on their own turf.

Farewell,

Mike