Want to discover remote-first organizations best practices? Get the 8 tips and best practices for integrating remote work culture in your business with benefits.
Before the pandemic, remote-first culture was primarily linked with technology enterprises that employed worldwide talent under loosely defined remote-friendly conditions.
According to a Gartner Inc. global poll, 88% of organizations worldwide forced or encouraged all employees to work from home as the virus spread exponentially.
Additionally, almost 97% of organizations promptly suspended all work-related travel.
Once the alien term remote-first soon became the talk of the town!
But what is it? And how can organizations benefit from it?
This article will walk you through the details of remote-first company culture and the remote best practices that organizations may use to promote a remote-first work culture.
What is Remote-First?
A remote-first prioritizes remote work for most employees, if not all.
In such a case, employees can operate from a remote location, such as a home office or co-working space.
What is a Remote-First Company?
In contrast to remote-only companies, remote-first companies maintain physical office space.
For example, it is offered to employees who need or prefer a typical office setting away from home.
These companies foster a remote-first culture, establishing workplace flexibility as the standard rather than an exception.
What Is A Remote-First Culture?
After knowing the benefits of work-from-home, companies like Coinbase, Dropbox, Twitter, Shopify, Spotify, Tata Steel, and Facebook/Meta have permanently embraced the smudging benefits of work-from-home models.
If your next question—is remote-first, the same as remote-friendly, let's clear the air around it.
Remote-First Vs. Remote-Friendly
Working outside the primary office or corporate site is the default way of operation in a remote-first workplace.
It is not the same as a "remote-friendly" company.
A remote-friendly company often allows some workers to work from home for various reasons but performs most daily activities in person.
Remote-friendly companies encourage employees to work outside the corporate office for some days.
The opposite is true: a remote-first company expects its employees to work full-time away from the office.
Why Remote-First?
The year 2020 introduced us to remote-first.
But that was not all.
We see the trend continuing in 2021 and 2022.
If stats are to be believed, by 2025, approximately 70% of the workforce will be remotely operating for five days, at least five days a month.
But why do businesses employ a remote-first work approach?
To achieve short and long-term business objectives!
These include business continuity, lesser employee turnover, reduced expenses, employee wellbeing, and long-term adaptation and flexibility.
Let's look at the benefits of remote-first in no particular order.
Business Continuity
Companies can promote adaptability and expansion options with a remote-first culture, particularly in unforeseen events.
Companies can also enforce hiring, new technology, and electronically arrange for more office space with a remote-first strategy.
It places them on a more viable route for corporate growth.
Higher Productivity
Due to the transformation, numerous businesses that have shifted to remote work in response to the epidemic have claimed overall increased productivity.
According to an Upwork poll, 32.2 percent of recruiting managers believe their overall productivity has grown since they began working remotely.
This increase in productivity is attributable to the elimination of commuting and various other roadblocks and diversions.
Inclusivity
A remote-first culture fosters more inclusion and robust virtual culture inside businesses that follow this strategy. It also contributes significantly to developing a more favorable workplace branding image.
Reduced Expenses
Businesses that adopted a remote-first strategy saw considerable reductions in overall operational expenses.
Stanford University discovered that a company that adopted the remote work model saved an astounding $2,000 per person in rent expenditures.
Lesser Employee Turnover
Remote-first companies benefit from an inherent advantage in access to top talent and lower employee turnover rates.
According to Stanford research, switching to remote work resulted in a 50% reduction in employee attrition.
Because remote work results in increased employee satisfaction, fewer employees will quit the organization, indicating that the benefit is favorable to both employers and employees.
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