Keeping your Remote Employees Connected (Guest Blog)

It’s no secret that Millennials are changing the workplace. Now the dominant generation of the American workforce, their new approach to work-life balance and employee benefits has HR professionals scrambling at times to adjust. One of the most-desired benefits from the younger worker is a Remote work or Work From Home (WFH) policy. Often cited by Millennial job applicants as one of the primary benefit offerings to pique their interest in a potential job, remote work has exploded in popularity as technology capabilities have expanded in recent years. With a full 32% of workers worldwide now utilizing remote work options, let’s take a look at busting some popular myths surrounding remote work and WFH options.

Myth: Remote workers are less productive

While this can seem like an intuitive conclusion initially, remote workers almost universally describe themselves as more productive when telecommuting. When taking into account factors like commute time, office distractions, and endless meetings, the productive remote worker starts to make more sense – plus the carbon emission savings from remote work make it a more Earth-friendly policy!

Myth: Remote workers communicate less with supervisors

Another surprising stat: while remote workers might not get in-person time with managers, they’re still keeping well-connected; over half of respondents in a 2016 survey reported communicating with their supervisor at least once a day. Many offices are already using online messaging tools like Slack to connect workers across the world. These digital tools can be used to boost employee engagement as well; simply getting some digital facetime through video conferencing tools helps workers feel more connected to their teams.

Myth: Remote workers feel less valued

The popular adage “out of sight, out of mind” doesn’t apply to remote workers, it turns out. Remote workers actually report feeling more valued than workers in aggregate. Whether it’s the constant communication with supervisors or simply the flexibility offered through a WFH policy, remote workers are still developing positive relationships with their companies.

At the end of the day, remote work isn’t right for every company (as Yahoo famously declared), but to discount the potential benefits for your company could impact your hiring success with Millennials. Although there are positives and negatives, it’s clear that remote work will continue to be a compelling benefit for both employers & employees moving forward. Looking for more info & data on remote workers? 

Author Bio:

Sarah Allen is a community manager at Nucleus.