remote working
Remote working has long been considered by businesses and employees alike as a perfectly viable alternative to getting into the office every day. Working from home is perfect for those who need to look after young children while earning, and offers many benefits to businesses by reducing the cost of supplying a desk, computer and internet connection to workers.
However, web giant Yahoo! recently sent out a memo to it employees, explaining that employees will no longer be working from home.
According to the memo, which was leaked earlier this year, having all Yahoo! employees in the office increases the productivity of the company as a whole. According to the memo, which was sent out to all staff, “some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings.”
The memo went on to add, “speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home.”
Doing your homework
Hearing of the memo, famous entrepreneur Richard Branson was quick to comment, saying it was a “backwards step in an age when remote working is easier and more effective than ever.”
The benefits of working from home are obvious. It’s been chosen by many companies – some which even chose to have their entire workforce work from home – and in an age where technology is constantly improving, it is expected in the business sector that remote working will only continue to increase.
For one, the lack of need to commute is a big advantage. With the employee not needing to spend money on travel and there being no risk of being caught in traffic or on a broken down bus, starting work it as easy as switching on a computer.
For men and women with very young children, working at home gives them a great opportunity to look after their child while earning. And with webcams and instant messaging, there’s software available to bring office employees and home employees together as if they were in the same room.
Job satisfaction
International communications specialist Powwownow commented, “Providing the right technology that allows colleagues to keep in touch remotely delivers greater job satisfaction, a more sophisticated work force network and higher productivity – and with 59% of employees saying remote working is the way forward – it is hard to disagree.”
Working in an office can lead to plenty of distractions. Those who work from home are often more productive because they don’t have the distraction of co-workers sharing cat pictures or telling them about their holidays. Even so, it’s incredibly easy to keep in direct touch with co-workers with remote working software.
The comfort that home offers and the ease of telecommunicating often increases the job satisfaction of workers, and gives them a higher feeling of responsibility – this leads them to produce higher quality of work.

Jake Evans

Jake Evans