Yes, working from home does make you more productive

It’s official Remote Office Day today, but no that doesn’t mean celebrating the single office block in the Outer Hebrides, but rather people who work from home, the pyjama-wearing, chocolate-nomming laptop-bound masses.

But apparently British bosses don’t realise the potential of letting their staff work from home. Remote access and support experts LogMeIn commissioned independent research that showed 21% of small to medium businesses are worried about the productivity of their staff when working remotely.

The old stereotypes of the home worker getting up at 11, and eating cereal over their laptop is clearly preying on the minds of the CEOs of Britain’s medium to small businesses.

But, they should trust their home-working staff is the other conclusion of LogMeIn’s survey because it turns out that people who work from home often put in longer hours than their office-bound colleagues and feel more job satisfaction

LogMeIn sketched out the five benefits of letting employees telecommute:

1 Higher productivity and job satisfaction
Telecommuters actually put in longer hours than their office counterparts, and experience higher levels of job satisfaction.

2 Retention up, costs down
Companies with telecommuting programs have found it reduces absenteeism and helps increase employee retention, which decreases the costs of hiring and training new employees.

3 An edge over the competition
Telecommuting offers the potential for 24/7 customer service and a wider geographic range of job candidates, leading to the top staffing and support levels that help you maintain a competitive advantage.

4 Healthier workers
By allowing employees to work from home when they are under the weather, companies can avoid letting infections spread across the entire workplace and reduce the amount of sick leave taken by staff.

5 A “perked up” image
Establishing “green” policies and offering flexible and accommodating work schedules helps to increase employee morale and may even promote a positive brand perception. Innovative remote access solutions make it so easy and cost effective for you and your employees to be productive wherever you are, it may be time to consider offering telecommuting options.

And that is why your boss should let you work at home.

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