We all thought that remote work will phase itself out as the pandemic blows over. We cannot be more mistaken with our prediction. Remote work is cementing a permanent change in the working world with its growing popularity, prevalence, and variations as we speak.

A survey by Gartner showed that 41% of the employees who work remotely look forward to continuing working remotely in the same capacity. Gartner’s second survey indicated that 82% of employers are gearing up to embrace remote work as a mainstay in their companies – including hybrid work and flexible work hours. 

Employees and employers are leaning into remote work because virtual work benefits are just too good to be missed out

The pandemic “accidentally” showed us how remote work can generate results-oriented work behavior, increase productivity, raise profits, and cut inventory budgets – all while digitizing and finding ways to make remote work more effective, human, and integrated. 

Remote employees are reaping the following perks: 

1.       Better work-life integration. 

A remote worker saves an average of 54.2 minutes a day by not commuting to the office. This translates to 4.6 hours a week, 18.4 hours a month, and 9.5 full days a year of not commuting. They can use that time to keep fit, prepare healthy homecooked meals, indulge in their hobbies, and spend more time with their family and friend. 

Lifestyles are also undergoing major changes due to remote work. Remote workers don’t need to spend on power suits and briefcases – they can work while dressed in bunny slippers and casual wear. This veracity also opens some creative ideas that foster workplace camaraderie. 

2.       Flexible work hours. 

Remote workers have the liberty to suit their work hours to support their lifestyles. Genashtim, a remote-first company encourages its employees to fully utilize flexible work hours. As of 2022, 60% of Genashtim’s employees are people with disabilities (PWDs), some of whom, need special medical care and frequent break intervals. 

With flexible work hours, all that a Genashtim staff is required to do is drop a “Be right back,” message in their department/team’s Microsoft Teams group chat and go about taking a power nap or running an errand. 

3.       Positive impact on the environment. 

With technology enabling remote work, going paperless is a huge shift favoring the environment – files are saved in and shared via digital folders and record systems like Google Drive, Google Docs, Share Point, and One Drive. 

Reduced commuting to work also reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases. Remote work has shown its potential in minimizing the carbon footprint and maximizing energy conservation. 

4.       Results matter, not attendance. 

Remote work is big on performance and small on 8 hours a day presence. Genashtim Founder and CEO, Thomas Ng, quipped that if one of the company’s employees brings big business deals worth millions but works for only an hour a week, he wouldn’t mind it at all, provided that the employee supports his/her team adequately. 

This bigger focus on productivity rather than presenteeism is especially advantageous for women. They can indulge in episodic bursts of “sprints,” and have more time to do unpaid work within the household, a burden that unfortunately and disproportionately falls on women’s shoulders. In the remote work realm, sprint means undistracted, uninterrupted, and high-efficiency task execution. 

5.       Save money. 

Since remote work cuts down on commuting to and from work, you save money on gas. You also save money by cutting down on eating out during the work week. 

You can also save money on equipment since some companies provide their remote employees with laptops, headsets, antivirus, and antimalware software while others provide home office equipment – desk, chair, and mobile devices. 

A fast and stable internet connection is integral to remote work efficiency and some companies compensate their remote employees’ internet bills. 

Meanwhile, remote work employers are reaping the following perks: 

1.       More productivity

 A pioneering study on remote work found that working from home one day a week boosted output by 13%. This increase in productivity largely owes itself to the time remote employees save by not commuting.   

Genashtim staff members embody the company’s work culture which can be encapsulated as “incomplete detachment from work.” This means, that whether it’s the weekend, or an employee is on leave or after their work hours, they respond to work emails, give heads-up, or even do the tasks that are considered urgent. This is Genashtim’s distinct, uninscribed work culture – it’s neither 9 to 5 nor weekend breaks – it’s a go-between, almost intermediary. 

Flexible timings which provide leeway for remote employees to have better work-life balance also contribute to a rise in productivity. However, employers must be vigilant to not cause burnout in their remote employees, which includes the latter bringing work to bed or not having a designated remote workplace. 

To avoid remote employee burnout at Genashtim, employees are encouraged to take as many breaks as they need. This is especially thoughtful of Genashtim’s Management Commitee because the PWD employees have certain medical conditions and special needs to be taken care of. 

2.       Happier, healthier, and more focused employees

With remote employee-centric policies in place, remote employees are bound to work happily – they are also able to take care of themselves, their homes, and their families better. Remote-first or remote-friendly organizations can minimize issues such as employee attrition and be more confident in meeting organizational goals. 

Happier, healthier, and more focused employees mean more business growth and rise in profits. 

3.       Get global talents

Remote work defies borders, with technology globalizing the world of work. An enterprise’s established remote work policy means that it can draw on the talents of employees from regional areas, interstate, or even overseas, neither by relocating them nor by building establishments for workers’ physical accessibility. 

The remote employees of Genashtim are located across six continents and are from 10 countries; Genashtim has had no physical office since its inception in 2008. 

In an interview with CRN, Dell chairman and CEO, Michael Dell quoted, “This changing approach to work requires some different thinking about technology and processes if it’s going to be a more permanent feature of the workplace.” His words ring true and are the personification of JEDI Jobs, an exclusive remote job platform that matches employers with remote workers hailing from different countries. JEDI Jobs is a remote job portal vanguard that enables companies to recruit world-class remote workers who are invaluable assets to grow business and raise profits by bringing the best of their unique work culture, acumen, ideas, and knowledge. 

Geographical locations have been rendered irrelevant by the advent of remote work. Remote work is also closing the gender gap – more women are enabled to have sustainable and gainful remote employment. People who are sidelined from mainstream society due to their ethnicity, religion, background, gender, sexuality, medical condition (leprosy, HIV), or circumstance (refugee, senior citizen) can now be hired because remote work effectively bridges these chasms via technology. This, in turn, creates awareness and flexes towards diversity and inclusion in the remote workplace. Along with that, it brings out the best in humanity where we uplift and support each other. 

JEDI Jobs offers global remote work opportunities with full benefits. A first of its kind, JEDI Jobs is a platform that connects global employers to pools of remote workers across the world, staying true to global citizenry. It’s a step into the future! 

4.       Employment opportunities for people with disabilities (PWDs) and others from marginalized communities

In most parts of the world, public mobility facilities for PWDs are abject and almost non-existent. This directly affects the empowerment of PWDs – the lockdowns due to the pandemic have ended but for many PWDs, they are on society-imposed lockdown and stigma that prevails until the end of their lives. Remote work is changing this. 

Genashtim is a for-profit social enterprise and its PWD employees work from the comfort and convenience of their homes – they have a wide range of disabilities and some of them are quadriplegics, ventilator-dependent, and stricken by illnesses that result in them losing certain bodily functions. 

Refugees, women from oppressed environments, seniors, and LGBTQAI members are also employed at Genashtim. At the time of writing, Genashtim is engaging in conversations to hire ex-convicts, lepers, and people living with HIV (PLHIV). 

In a complete unanticipated paradigm shift, remote work is allowing those who are sidelined and stigmatized to be gainfully and sustainably employed; these people gain dignity, become financially independent, and at the same time, contribute to the global economy. Remote work also provides a powerful platform for the marginalized to prove their productive capabilities which will go a long way in destigmatizing them and breaking stereotypes. 

Final words… 

For employers and employees feeling uneasy at the idea of remote work, taking the plunge can be daunting. It’s human nature to dislike change after all. 

Remote work models are relatively new. Unsurprisingly, such work models are perceived to be novel. However, remote work models can be implemented in any company – Genashtim is one good example. 

When Genashtim began its operations, “floating somewhere in the clouds,” few had the belief that the remote work model would work. Genashtim’s purpose of providing sustainable employment for PWDs was also doubted. 

Now, these are just distant memories. Genashtim’s iron persistence and unshakeable faith in the untapped human capital bore fruition. Having come a long way and scaling new heights every day, Genashtim’s growth is unstoppable. 

Currently, there are remote work guidelines and protocols that employers can derive insights from when they absorb a remote work division into their organization – its scale is unprecedented. 

Top companies have announced that they would provide permanent remote work for their staff going forward. As remote work becomes more common, its efficiency will have an upsurge as new policies are devised to support remote work. 

JEDI Jobs is a visionary and revolutionary remote job portal that was created to advertise remote employment opportunities from employers around the world. As remote work evolves, so will companies and the way they implement remote work. 

As for employees, shifting to remote careers need a new approach to work especially since physical presence is non-existent. Remote employees must endeavor time management, overcommunication, scheduling, and virtual workspace upkeeping. It’s also necessary for remote employees to familiarize themselves with new technology, combat imposter syndrome, and practice remote work etiquette. 

JEDI Jobs provides Virtual Office Training (VOT) as a remote employee onboarding process. Designed and curated by Genashtim, employers advertising remote vacancies may use VOT to assimilate their employees with remote work. 

Remote work is fast becoming the rule rather than the exception – predecessors have set the tone. All you have to do is to keep building on it and make some retouches to create a dynamic, sustainable, and evolving remote work sphere!