Remote work is on the rise – according to research by Condeco, 43% of businesses in the United States plan to offer more remote work options in the coming year. And a recent TrueCar study showed a major increase over the past few decades; 62% more people are working from home now than did in 2000!

I’ve been working remotely with Purple Ink for almost five years, and while I love having the option to work from our office (the ink pad), I can attest that I tend to be more focused and productive on days when I work from home than I am in the office. Not to mention being more engaged just knowing I have the flexibility to work from wherever I want! While of course there are some roles or situations that are exceptions, for the most part, there are a myriad of reasons you should allow your employees to work remotely at least part of the time. Here are some of them.

1. It’s What Your Employees Want

Remote work is becoming increasingly attractive to the workforce. In a Randstad Workmonitor survey, 82% of people said they liked the idea of being able to work wherever they want. Three quarters of work-from-homers surveyed by TrueCar said they wish they could work remotely forever. Not interested in offering something just because your employees want it? Gallup’s State of the American Workplace showed that 51% of employees are actively looking for a new job or watching for openings; more flexibility might help you retain your team.

2. It Attracts Top Talent

Not only is working remotely great for your current employees, it also attracts future team members! Overwhelming numbers of people are paying attention to flexible work options and taking them into consideration during their job searches. In an IWG survey, 80% of respondents said they’d take a job that allows for flexible work over one that doesn’t have any flexible options. In the candidate’s market caused by our current low unemployment rates, do you really want to take a possible competitive advantage off the table?

3. It Increases Productivity and Focus

Like I mentioned in the intro, I often feel much more focused and productive when I’m working at home than I do in the office – and I’m not the only one! In a SurePayroll survey, 86% of people said they prefer working alone to be most productive, and 61% said loud colleagues are the biggest office distraction. You may be worried about not being able to see what your team is up to and wondering whether they’re spending their workday checking social media and online shopping, but that’s not supported by the statistics. The truth is, if you give your employees that trust, the vast majority of them are going to return the favor by getting their work done.

4. It’s a Mood Booster

No matter how much you love your office and your coworkers, I’m sure we’ve all been there – sometimes you just want to sit on your couch in comfy clothes with your music on instead of getting dressed nicely, driving to the office, and seeing other people. Statistics back this one up, too; an Owl Labs study shows that those who work remotely at least once a month are 24% more likely to be happy and productive. And it impacts stress levels – 82% of telecommuters said they experience less stress. All of this ultimately helps your organization, because happier employees are more productive, creative, tolerant of mistakes, and better at solving problems and doing complex analysis.

If you’re not offering any remote work options now, what are you waiting for? Try incorporating more flexibility in your workplace!

Need some help implementing remote work? Purple Ink has a great new remote workforce training! We’d also love to work with you to create some remote work policies. Reach out to us for more information.