Remote vs. In-Office: Which Will Work Best for Your Business?

The past year and a half or so has seen the way that we work drastically change. If you run a business, you’ll have faced all sorts of challenges while trying to operate amidst the coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic. As governments around the world have implemented lockdowns, social distancing measures and social isolation measures, businesses have had to adapt to meet rules and regulations and help in the bid to minimise the spread of the virus.

One change that many businesses have had to get used to is their staff working on a remote basis. Being able to work from home has kept staff at a distance from one another, reducing the spread of the virus and seeing us have to modify our day to day routines to get the work done.

Now that vaccines are being rolled out around the world and life is getting back to normal, business owners are being faced with the task of deciding whether to return to the office or not. Some have seen huge benefits of remote work and have decided to stay permanently remote. Some have faced difficulties and are eagerly anticipating a return to face to face operations. If you’re unsure, here are some things to consider that will help you to make the right decision for yourself, your employees and your business in general.

Remote Work: The Pros and Cons

Let’s start out by looking at remote work. What are the pros and cons of this working model for your business? Here are some areas to take into consideration.

Pros

• Reduced operating costs – when you run your business with a remote workforce, you’ll find that your operating costs are significantly reduced. This makes sense. When you host staff in a commercial space, you are going to have to provide them with a commercial space to operate within – and this doesn’t come cheap. Commercial premises rent has increased over the years and you’ll essentially be forking out a lot of rental payments when your workers could be working from home at no cost to you. On top of this, you will save on overheads, such as gas and electric, as you won’t have commercial premises to light and heat.
• Reduced responsibility over health and safety – when staff work in an office space that you provide, you become responsible for their health and safety. You will need to make sure that the office space is up to scratch and that there aren’t any hazards or threats that could damage your staff or compromise their safety. This means you’ll spend a lot of time and money on repairs (such as lifted carpets), PAT testing to ensure electrical equipment is safe, providing ergonomic furniture and equipment and more. When your staff work from home, they are responsible for their own working environment.
• Staff satisfaction – the happier and more content your staff are, the more likely they are to perform. People working remotely over the past year and a half or so due to the pandemic has seen many staff grow more happy within their roles. The reasons for this vary from one individual to another, but some common elements include saving time and money by not having to commute, being able to wear more comfortable clothes, the ability to make healthier and better lunches with access to their own kitchens and managing to create a better work-life balance. Happy staff are retained staff, which is beneficial for your business all round. A return to the office could see difficulties with staff retention, especially considering there are now so many remote based jobs.

Cons

• Management difficulties – of course, it is easier to manage staff when you can see them and exactly what they are doing. Managers can identify when staff are slacking and pick up the heat to get them back on track. It is worth noting, however, that remote management is possible if different approaches are taken, such as regular check-ins and focusing on KPIs as indicators of performance.
• Communication issues – it can be more difficult to communicate online than it is to communicate with people who are in the same room as you. This is where communication issues can come into play. In order to ensure staff can communicate with one another, you’re going to have to invest in software that allows for instant messaging and video calls, such as Microsoft Teams.
• Cybersecurity – staff working from home can come hand in hand with a cybersecurity risk. You will have to implement more cybersecurity measures to ensure that staff are aware of cybersecurity threats and to reduce your business’ chances of data leaks, hacking and other common issues. This may include steps such as cybersecurity training, implementation of a VPN, strict device policies and more.

In-Office Work: The Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of a return to the office.

Pros

• Office culture – by having staff in office, you can create an office culture that is rich in communication and where everyone knows one another well. You can create bonds between team members, encouraging team building activities and creating a sense of community with branded items, such as lanyards from this guide, t-shirts, mugs, coasters and more. Staff are more likely to bond over picking up lunch or drinks after work than they would from home.
• Home-work separation – bringing staff into the office can help to separate their home life and their work life. They will have two distinct spaces where their priorities will be different. When they are in the office, they can focus solely on their work, not distracted by household tasks or other individuals within their home, such as their partner, children, pets or housemates.
• Guaranteed workplace standards – when you provide your staff with an office to work from, you can guarantee that they are working in productive, efficient and positively influential environments. You can ensure that the spaces are well lit, well designed and comfortable.
• A physical perception of your brand – when you have an office space, you have a space to host important clients and business partners, giving them an insight into your business and how it works. By incorporating your company logo or slogan onto Custom Lanyard, you can ensure that your brand is visible and memorable during face-to-face interactions. This attention to detail enhances the overall perception of your brand, conveying a sense of professionalism and attention to quality that resonates with clients and partners alike.They’ll be able to see your staff working productively as they pass through to attend meetings.
• Boosting local economies – this may not be best for your own staff, but having an office can boost the local economy, as your staff are going to spend more money on petrol to get to and from work, more money on lunch if they forget or don’t have the time to do packed lunch and more money on teas, coffees and other hot drinks which they would be able to make from home if they weren’t in office.

As you can see, there really is a lot to take into consideration when it comes to deciding whether your staff should return to office or not following the pandemic. As things are getting back to normal, the need to make this decision is growing ever imminent. So, it’s time to start mulling over your options and determining what works best for your business. Every company is different, so while remote work may be best for one, office work may be best for another. Only you will be able to make the best decision for your company and its staff. Hopefully, some of the above information will help you to make a well rounded and informed decision!