Will your workforce be happier if they are working from home?

Listen in! Pick up some expert advice to a reader's question that we selected from CyberSchmooz.

Office work can be a great chance to network and learn from co-workers. However, some office workers find co-workers interrupt their workflow and daily commuting is a source of stress.

Remote working can increase focus, productivity, and your staff's life work-life balance. During the pandemic, a third of people enjoy remote working and do not want to return to the typical office environment. On the flip side, a third of people are keen to return to the office on a part-time basis with some remote work thrown in.

UK workers find they can achieve a better balance between work and their personal life while working from home. Only one in ten people find themselves distracted and less productive at home.

Here are a few reasons why your workforce may be happier working from home.

No commute

Thousands of people in the UK spend countless hours commuting to work. Delayed trains are a significant source of stress for the UK's commuting population, especially for Londoners. There are logistical challenges to commuting that can be easily avoided with remote working.

Without a two-hour commute each day, your staff could have more time to invest in their health, family, and personal hobbies. They could use this time to enhance their lives so they can approach work with a happier attitude.

Increased productivity and focus

Chatty co-workers and noisy offices can drastically reduce an individual's productivity. It is far easier to tune out email notifications and Slack messages by muting the application. Workers are less likely to get burnt out and stressed when they could control their work environment.

Invest in branded business cards for your employees so you can maintain a sense of community in your company. Promotional merchandise and business posters can make any home office feel a little more motivational and business-focused.

Better work-life balance

In a recent survey, employees who work remotely and telecommute into meetings are happier than those who have continued to go into the office. Remote workers are more likely to work full-time, have a higher income, and be employed by industries with above-average job satisfaction.

Happier employees are more likely to stay in your company and thus, improve your employee retention. When hiring new staff for remote roles, you can look outside of your city and scope broader talent.

It's no secret that work obligations often spill into our personal lives. A better work-life balance is one of the main reasons workers choose to work remotely. They can set better work boundaries and guidelines on when they are available for meetings.

Despite interruptions from family members and weak Wi-Fi connections, remote working has undeniable benefits that could transform your staff's productivity and happiness.

Small Business Tax Center • Idea Cafe Home • Sign Up • Biz Grant Center • CyberSchmooz •Coffee Talk with Experts • People in Biz Profiles • Starting Your Biz • Biz Planning • Running Your Biz • FREE Trade Publications • Marketing • Financing Your Biz • Human Resources • Legal & Biz Forms • Managing Your Biz • eCommerce • You and Your Biz • Gen X • Work@Home • The Fridge • De-Stress • Send an Award • Send an eGreeting • Yoga @ Your Desk • Web Guide • Idea Cafe in the News • About Idea Cafe • Advertise on Idea Cafe • Contact Us • Privacy Policy • Site Map • Small Biz News

DISCLAIMER: We hope whatever you find on this site is helpful, but be cautioned that it may not apply to your own situation, or be totally current at any given time. Idea Cafe Inc. and all of its current and past experts, sponsors, advertisers, agents, contractors and advisors disclaim all warranties with regard to anything found anywhere on this family of websites, quoted from, or sent from Idea Cafe. and its related sites, publications and companies. We also take no responsibility for comments published by others on these pages.

TRADEMARKS: The following are Registered Trademarks or Servicemarks of DevStart, Inc.: Idea Cafe®, Online Coffee Break®, The Small Business Gathering Place®, Take out Info®, Biz Bar & Grill®, Complaint-O-Meter®, A Fun Approach to Serious Business™, CyberSchmooz™, and BizCafe™.