There have been different schools of thought on the topic – remote workers are more productive than office workers.
Some people are of the belief that working in an office with a team is more productive than working alone from home or any other place besides the office.
While the other school of thought claims that remote working provide workers with lots of advantages that help increase their productivity.
Recent studies conducted showed that nine in every ten workers prefer remote working to working in the office.
More companies are adopting the system already by allowing workers work from home two or three days of the week while others are strongly against it. Come to the office or get fired!
This topic has gained the first seat in most business discussions these days.
Thankfully, we took the time to compile this article with the aim of exposing some of the advantages remote workers have over office workers and why they tend to be more productive.
Without much ado, let’s dive in. shall we!
Increased Productivity
The open-office setting gives room to distractions every now and then. This makes it difficult for workers to focus on the task at hand. Besides the chattering from co-workers, meeting call up and other background noise, say from customers, make it difficult to concentrate on your task.
One minute you are focused and the next you are distracted. And trust me; it takes a whole lot of time trying to refocus on your task.
But this is not the case with routine workers. They usually work in serene environments where there is little to no room for distractions. This boosts their productivity compared to their co-workers in the office.
Flexibility
Remote workers operate a more flexible schedule compared to their counterparts in the office. No wonder most employees prefer to work remotely. Despite being “always-on,” they get to choose their break whenever they wish to.
This flexibility helps them handle other responsibilities besides the office task such as taking kids to and from school, picking up laundry, going for grocery shopping, etc. So, instead of sitting in the office and thinking of the responsibilities you left unattended to, you are provided with the opportunity to go take care of other businesses and return to the task with a clear head.
Why won’t such a worker come out more productive at the end of the month?
Engaged Workers
More often than not, you find out that routine workers put more time into their task than workers in the office. It could be due to the fact that people believe routine workers are lazy or that they spend more time making coffee than concentrating on the office task. Whatever the case is, study shows that people who work remotely tend to put in extra hours into their task.
An office worker who has been distracted all day will end up postponing the task at the end of the working hours so that he/she can relax and attend to other responsibilities.
At the end of the month, you will find out that such a worker achieved way less compared to a remote worker who is in control of his/her work schedule and pace.
Happy Employee
I guess you will agree with me that happy employees tend to be more productive than unhappy, stressed-out employees. Yeah, you are at your best when you are happy and satisfied.
And from the research conducted, we can say that 90% of employees are happier working remotely than under the supervision of their employers at the office.
In fact, some of the workers interviewed admit they will quit their jobs if they find another job which encourages remote working.
Why keep unhappy staffs in the office all day when you can let them work remotely at their comfort?
Less Sick Leave
Of course, there will be less sick leaves. Why? Because a remote worker gets to plan his/her schedule and work at his/her own pace. There is no pressure from team members or stress from going early to work and coming back late in the evening with all of the meetings and hustles between.
That they rarely fall sick means there will be fewer sick leaves, which eventually leads to more time for the office tasks and increased productivity at the end of the month.
Conclusion
True, the type of work goes a long way affecting workers’ decision to work remotely or in the office. You wouldn’t expect a salesman to work from home, would you? So, it actually “depends” but often than not remote workers are more productive than the traditional office workers. With that said, I guess you now know the school of thought to stand with. Yeah, we stand with facts!