Remote work is here to stay say business leaders

New research from mobile workforce specialist Motus shows that 67 percent of business leaders expect work-from-home policies to remain in place for the long-term or even permanently.

The report also shows businesses thriving in remote environments, with 83 percent of company leaders reporting the shift to remote work has been successful for their organization. This sentiment has increased 14 percent since June 2020 and reinforces the position among 68 percent of hiring managers that remote work is becoming easier as time goes on.

While remote work was often linked with decreased productivity prior to the pandemic, the report finds the opposite. In fact, remote employees report that they experience up to 45 percent fewer interruptions while working from home. The result is nine extra days of concentrated work per year for each employee who worked remotely for half the time.

"For years, employers argued against adopting remote work practices. The expectation that work-from-home policies will persist signals a paradigm shift across the business landscape," says Ken Robinson, market research manager for Motus. "Over the past year, organizations have quickly and successfully adapted to remote work and proved that the workforce is fully capable of operating successfully in a remote environment. Today, nearly 56 percent of employees have remote-compatible jobs, setting the stage for an enduring remote workforce."

One of the benefits for enterprises is the absence of fixed real estate and business travel costs. Employers embracing at least half-time remote work save $11,000 per employee per year according to the report. Over the next year 87 percent of business leaders expect to re-evaluate to their real estate strategy. This includes consolidating space and/or opening satellite locations to promote flexible work environments.

"Despite the benefits of remote work, face-to-face interaction remains important to employers when it comes to maintaining their organizational culture," adds Robinson. "Employing a hybrid policy ensures that teams can benefit from both the improved focus in a remote setting and in-person collaboration. From a bottom-line perspective, decentralizing the office will also provide employers with the opportunity to re-purpose top line spend on employee benefits, resources for those who need help adjusting to a hybrid work schedule and reimbursement for business-related expenses such as phones, home office spaces and internet."

The full report is available from the Motus site.

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