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Is remote work really that good for employees? What about companies? Do companies benefit from remote work? And can remote work affect your chances of getting a promotion?
To find the answers to all these questions, we talked to Darcy Marie Boles, a remote work consultant who helps companies transition to remote-first and create effective working policies.
Darcy believes that having a “win-win” working experience for both companies and employees is quite possible with remote work. For companies, remote work gives them access to a much wider pool of talent, as more people who may have had difficulties accessing work before, now can get a remote job.
“people with disabilities, people who might not have access to working locations unless they move to a city, or maybe they’re taking care of a sick family member, now they can use their talents in a way that doesn’t require them to be chained to a location,” Darcy said.
On the other hand, employees get more flexibility, control of their time, and less time and money wasted on gas and commute.
Darcy added that benefiting from remote work comes down to “having the right mindset”. Companies that have an office-first mentality have a hard time enjoying the benefits that remote work unlocks for them. It’s important to design a remote work culture that supports connections and collaboration.
Companies have to decide whether they really want to go remote or not and build the necessary frameworks based on their choice. Things like losing connections or missing promotions because of working remotely can only happen if the company is functioning on an office mentality while being remote.
Darcy also advised companies to involve their employees in the decision and approach to remote work, while she advised employees to take the time to reflect and ask themselves what works best for them before they ask their employers for adjustments to their work setting. This will ensure both parties achieve that win-win experience, which will benefit the business overall.
