Remote work is here to stay, and can give rise to higher retention and engagement – not to mention that it can make it a bit easier to recruit that next top talent. And while this may not come as a complete surprise, the degree to which organizations can benefit from offering the opportunity to work remotely is worth noting.
This was recently pointed to by Owl Labs’ latest State of Remote Work report, including answers from 1202 US. based employees (of both the remote-work and on-site persuasion), which showed that:
71 % say that the opportunity to work remotely would influence their choice of employer in the future, and 34 % would accept a 5 % pay decrease in order to get it.
74 % thought that this opportunity would increase the chance of them staying in their current organisations, while 81 % said that, were they given a choice to work remotely, the odds of them recommending their organisation would be improved.
83 % say that being given the choice to work remotely would make them happier.
The Take-Away
While not everyone would thrive with working away from the office, offering the opportunity doesn’t seem to have many downsides. In fact, it could potentially increase retention, while making it easier to recruit top talent in the future (a pretty important point, when the war for talent rages outside our office walls), while also serving as a way to increase happiness and create ambassadors in the process. Ambassadors, who can help spread the good word of your organisation, and thus give an additional boost for your attractiveness as an employer.
