Being able to work from anywhere has really come of age in the last two years. 

Many people have loved it, while others realised they preferred an office environment.  But would you hazard a guess at how many people would like to make remote working a permanent option?

According to a new report, a whopping 96% of employees want to solely work from home, even when the pandemic is over.  They would even be willing to take a pay cut to make that happen.

But wait – it gets even more shocking.

Of these people, a third said they’d be willing to sacrifice HALF of their monthly wage to do so.  Not only that, but they’d give up their health benefits and even paid time off.

Are you as shocked at those figures as we are?

In terms of work/life balance, some people have never had it better. And now that things are slowly recovering, they’re not going to give it up without a fight.  Many of your people might not want to go back to the stress, the distraction, the commuting…  And it’s likely some of them don’t want to leave their beloved pets on their own!

As an employer, giving the option to work from anywhere a permanent fixture seems like an ideal solution. You’ve already seen that your people can be trusted to do a great job wherever they work. You may even have seen an increase in motivation and productivity.

Your business could even cut down on some of its fixed costs – office space is the big saving.

Of course, there’s more to consider than how much you trust your team to continue doing a great job. Or how much you could be saving on office space.

If you haven’t already done so, you’ll need to make sure that everyone’s remote working set-ups are suitable.  If you’ve only had temporary work from anywhere measures in place for the last 2 years, it’s time to make them official.

The first priority is to look at data security.

How do your people access your network? Do they have the right security measures installed on their devices? Are their home networks protected from unauthorised access? Can you stop their children using company devices?

But it’s not just security that you need to consider.

Look at the collaboration tools you’re using.

If your team is unlikely to be in the same place at the same time, should you invest in a better solution to make sure communication doesn’t suffer?  As well as reporting on salary sacrifices, the report also found that nearly 2 in 5 people feel ignored in video meetings.

Upgrading their equipment and devices might be the answer. Professional quality webcams and microphones can help by making sure video quality is high and that voices are heard.

Don’t forget that older laptops or desktops will need to be upgraded every few years to make sure they’re performing well and costing you less to maintain.

If you’d like any help making sure your home working setups are right for permanent remote workers, just give us a call.

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.