Today’s Telecommuting Could Bring Employers Long-Term Benefits Too

If you’re reading this today, chances are you’re working from home. And you may continue to do so for a while.

We’re all hoping the current global health crisis is resolved quickly and safely for everyone. In this time, if you’re an employer, you might want to start thinking ahead about the benefits of allowing more employees to telecommute long-term.

“Today’s workforce wants to work at home. According to a Gallup poll, 37% of today’s workforce would switch to a job that allows them to work off-site at least part of the time,” Denise Leaser, President of WebAssess, a prehire assessment tool. “This is good news for companies. If they really want a diverse workforce, they need to think seriously about looking outside their zip code and look to remote workers to expand the labor pool.”

It’s also a way for companies to find the necessary skills they need or even just fill positions in a tight labor market. Remote.co has found that remote workers are more productive, more engaged and less stressed than onsite workers.

Many companies have already developed formal remote work policies and evaluated existing roles to see which positions really need on-premises workers. Companies are also hosting remote software and providing portable devices to make it easier to telecommute. For example, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is a growing trend to allow employees to use their own computers and mobile phones. That way, employees don’t have to carry multiple devices for their personal and business needs. And secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) software can ensure that company networks have a baseline level of cybersecurity protection.

How can employers make telecommuting sustainable for the long run?

“It’s essential to determine employee suitability. This is an area that is often overlooked, and frankly some people just don’t have the discipline to work independently,” says Leaser. “That’s where good pre-hire assessments, like WebAssess, can assess the personality traits and work habits of employees to determine if they are a good fit for remote work – and in an objective, scalable and non-biased way.”

Start hiring smarter and find out how WebAssess can do a better job at predicting a candidate’s future job success and retention. Start your no-obligation, absolutely free 15-day trial of WebAssess today!