Finally they might believe that remote workers do actually work productively!

“Having to convince everybody that you do, in fact, have a real job?”

With everything going on right now people will realise that just because your job might be home based or remotely based that you do actually do more than:

• Start your day at midday whilst still lying in your bed
• Take phone calls whilst still in your pj’s
• Your only friends are the postman and maybe Sharon and Ian Beale off Eastenders
• Have immaculately cleaned & ironed clothes

So what is a ‘remote worker’ or what is to ‘work remotely’?

Traditionally a ‘remote worker’ is described as an employee who is employed by a company but not based in the employer’s office space. They could be based in the local coffee shop, at home or more often, a local coworking space.

This trend has been growing over the past few years, growing 159% between 2005-2017 as seen through the FlexJobs and Global Workplace Analytics special report. This upward trend is only set to continue, with forecasts predicting on average 50% of the UK workforce will work remotely by 2020. – So why is this such an appealing feature for UK workers?

Some employees are happy to be based from home, why is this?

• Increasing productivity: fewer distractions combined with less disruption allows certain employees to benefit from a quieter, personalised productive environment. (However, this all depends on family life as we all may not have a ‘quiet’ home environment)
• Boosts health: working from your own home removes the exposure to germs in typical office spaces. This was demonstrated through Indeed’s Remote Work Survey 50% of remote employees working from home reduced their sick days.
• Higher morale: Allowing employees to work from home can boost their job satisfaction. The ability to negotiate flexible working hours can have an outstanding impact with 80% of respondents to Flexjobs 8th Annual Survey saying they would be more loyal to companies if they had flexible work hours.
• Removes commuting stress: 41% of respondents in the FlexJobs’ survey reported ‘commute stress’ as a contributing factor of wanting to be based from home.

However not all of us have the perfect ‘home office’, whether this be due to family, living with friends or whatever the case may be… so where else can remote workers go?

COWORKING SPACES to the rescue!

Here @ The Hub we have offered coworking since 2012: members are (typically) self-employed, independent professionals and increasingly corporate remote workers who wish to work together in a communal, collaborative setting or private office space rather than the traditional employee-only office.

It provides an array of benefits for employees as opposed to the traditional working from home:

• Combat Loneliness and Connect with Others: As seen in Deskmag’s coworking survey 56% of people choose coworking space to interact with others and 59% choose it to have an enjoyable atmosphere. Coworking gives individuals and teams the chance to connect with other professionals, share ideas & exchange contacts.
• Participate in Business Events & Meetups: Smallbiz shows that 82% of respondents have expanded their professional network since joining a coworking office space. You’re always close to the action & although it might take you out of your comfort zone, this is how we learn and grow!
• Add Structure to Your Way of Working: Coworking provides less disruption than WFH which can in turn boost productivity. As seen in GCUC 84% of coworkers say working in a coworking hub makes them more motivated, 69% have obtained new skills and 68% say their existing skills have improved. Showing how coworking can provide just the right amount of structure you need to be productive.
• Environmentally & Mentally Friendly: Reduction in commuting to city workplaces. This reduction in long commutes can reduce employees carbon footprint & boost happiness, which in turn will boost mental wellbeing. (What a positive knock-on effect!
• Expand/Downsize without The Associated Costs: With 90% increase in the number of enterprise companies using coworking spaces alongside the traditional stream of freelancers and startups, this shows how the flexibility of coworking to expand/downsize is now reaching out to previously ‘untouched’ industries.

Whether you work from home or prefer working from a coworking space – both are increasing in numbers. Why not search further afield, look after your mental wellbeing & consider flexible working environments that suit your needs…

Get in touch to find out more info on how The Hub Newry can help you & your business.

People need people – connect, share, succeed.