The trend of digital nomads working remotely is becoming more rewarding than you ever thought it could—and there are no indications of slowing down anytime soon especially in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

In a remote work survey released last year, 16% of global companies were fully remote while 52% of the workforce around the world worked from home at least once a week.  

On the flip side, the modern office of the 21st century—all adorned with gimmicky designs that spell freedom and avant-garde; from candy dispensers in board/conference rooms to indoor treehouses and Hammocks—all perfect distractions that mostly attract new talents.

Remarkably, tech companies seem to be the worst offenders at this, spoiling workers with the so called startup favourites—table tennis and beer taps.

Of course it feels good to pop a candy bar from its jar, but does all the investment in gimmicks add any value to the company or the workers productivity?  

Even though setting up, hiring and organising a remote workforce comes with its own challenges, it is worthwhile to note that in the end it becomes one of the best decisions a business owner could ever make.  

Ask the founder of Storm Assist who has been using remote workers for nearly two years now and says with his remote workforce, he is a digital nomad happily working from anywhere.

“I’m yet to understand why company founders are increasingly becoming obsessed with availing in-office ‘perks’ for their workers. I hear the main goal is to create a fun environment and promote collaboration among the team(s). But I think this approach does more harm than good and recent studies indicate that the problem is worsening”, he said.

I for one know first hand how powerful a virtual workforce can be after proving the model over the past ten years with Australian Solar Quotes. In my professional opinion, the benefits of managing staff that work from home far outweigh the challenges that I faced through pioneering the model since 2010. I will talk more about this in a future post though.

Office Workers Unhappy

In one study, the number of employees who can’t concentrate at their office desks has shot by 16 per cent since 2008. Another shocking statistic is that the number of employees with no access to a serene work environment to perform more focused assignments has risen by 13 per cent.

Ideally, the place where workers perform their tasks from doesn’t matter—even if it’s at the beach or cafe, as long as they remain focused and work hard to deliver as expected each day.

This is one of the reasons why Aha! came into existence. The company was founded on the premise and promise of working remotely. Working remotely has and is working well for this company. 

Currently, Aha! is one of the fastest growing software companies within the United States and has a 100 per cent virtually distributed team.

Many experts concur on this one thing, and various surveys and studies have proved it—remote working is more rewarding in the context of productivity as compared to working from the office.

Below are three points that confirm the ideology that remote workers outperform office workers:

1. Productivity

With the new Covid-19 pandemic that demands social distancing, remote working is becoming a flexible, safe and convenient way to keep your workforce at it, productively. In the absence of the many office distractions and enhanced autonomy, a remote workforce churns out good volumes consistently; an outcome that most managers desire. A remotely working team gets more done in less time, enabling workers to start new projects, spend extra time doing what they love and ultimately boosting your bottom line.

According to one survey carried nationwide, 65 per cent of workers noted that working remotely would enhance their productivity. Again, 86 per cent of the participants said that working remotely enabled them to achieve maximum productivity. 

And it’s easy to understand why as the workers:

• Don’t have to commute to work
• Can complete their tasks on their own time and in the comfort of their home 
• Aren’t distracted by coworkers.
• Can take breaks whenever they feel like
• Plan their schedules or workday in a way that is flexible
• Are enthusiastic and self-motivated.

2. Teamwork

Regardless of the distance, remote workers create the best team players. This is because the distance demands regular communication. In the absence of physical proximity, remote workers are forced to contact each other frequently and when there’s need. This strengthens collaboration and comradeship. And guess what? A staggering 92 per cent of the participants say the long-distance video chats and collaboration enhanced teamwork.  

3. Presence

Offices are synonymous with absenteeism as some workers get sick or sneak out early to run their own errands or attend an event on time. Other workers like sales and marketing teams are forced from time to time to go out to the field. However, remote workers don’t have to sneak around or give excuses as they are not bound to an office and hence can create their workday to ensure they meet the other demands in their personal lives. 

If they fall ill with a cold, they can still work from home without spreading germs to colleagues. And if they have to run an errand, they can rearrange their work schedule and handle it quickly and still deliver on the day’s target. This eventually makes remote workers more available for their teams and assigned tasks. 

These are just a few reasons that compel me to conclude that remote workers are the most effective compared to those who work from the office. Remote workers can cut through the noise and fix their attention on what really matters—meaningful work and feeling fulfilled while doing it.

At the end of the day, results are what matters and remotely, they can be delivered without hammocks or beer taps. 

Final Thoughts

Remote workers can be just as efficient and effective—if not more effective than your traditional, in-house team. Even though this approach requires some level of coordination, it allows every team player to be more flexible, helping the team to maintain a healthy and balanced work-life. Undoubtedly, the general benefits to your workers and business are evident.

So, what’s your take? Who do you think is more effective, remote workers or office workers? Share your thoughts below.