The latest report from Gallup asks, Is Working Remotely Effective? Their answer is a definite YES.

Well, we couldn’t agree more. Yes, remote work can be a true win-win-win, if companies provide the right support and training for the leaders and teams.

In our work, we can see that remote work, or virtual work, is no longer a reward or done on a trial basis – it is the norm. Our friends at SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) found a threefold increase in the number of companies offering remote work options between 1996 and 2016. Gallup also found that remote work is expanding to more industries with finance, insurance and real estate industries experiencing the largest growth, followed by transportation, manufacturing or construction, and retail.

In addition, workers are demanding remote work options, with “54% of office workers saying they’d leave their job for one that offers flexible work time.”

But it’s not just that remote work is growing, it’s that remote work actually improves outcomes both in terms of worker productivity and cost savings. Consider this finding from the Gallup report: “Between the higher engagement and increased productivity of remote work, off-site workers offer leaders the greatest gains in business outcomes.”

Gallup also looked at the cost of not adopting remote work options. The result, “Government agencies that ended their telework arrangements found that ending remote work increased sick leave and vacation requests, returned no productivity increases, and two-thirds of employees consider quitting.”

The bottom line is that remote work is effective on several fronts: 1) creating highly engaged employees, which drives performance and productivity, 2) attracting and retaining top talent, and supporting work-life balance of workers, and 3) environmental gains with the reduction of daily commuting reduces carbon footprint – a big plus for the planet.

Gallup’s conclusion: “As leaders uncover the business benefit of engagement, the cost savings of remote work will only pile up: Higher employee productivity, lower environmental impact, better employee branding, lower turnover — it all translates to lower costs.”

We couldn’t have said it better!

If your leaders or teams are looking for support getting the most out of your virtual teams and virtual team leaders, we’d love to help. Contact us at https://www.powersresourcecenter.com/lets-connect/