An article appearing in Inc.com shows that remote workers are actually working more efficiently than in-house staff and it’s more economical.  Long-term trends all show steady growth in the number of people working remotely.  Over the last 10 years, the number of people working primarily from home has risen 115 percent. Additionally, remote work has grown faster than any other commute method.

If you haven’t considered remote workers, it may be time to consider it.  “Remote work options can benefit the bottom line, recruiting efforts, company culture, productivity rates, ability to be agile, and much more.”

Three key insights into remote work strategies

(as seen by  SYKES, Williams-Sonoma, and Dell):

1. Remote work benefits the bottomline.

For some companies, remote work is what makes the company possible.

At SYKES, a leading customer contact management solutions company with 55,000 employees, according to Beth Beard, the Vice President of Work-at-Home Operations:

“work-at-home employees are more engaged and consistently deliver high-quality service.” “Customer satisfaction, call resolution, and other key performance indicators for SYKESHome are higher than from traditional suppliers.”  Breaking down geographic barriers also “offers opportunity to typically underserved members of the workforce, such as the disabled, rural, inner city and single-parents.” The company’s remote work program is called SYKESHome.

Performance measurement data confirms this.

2. HR can hire talented candidates without geographical restriction and can add diversification.

According to Craig Barnes, Senior Vice President of Customer Care at the specialty home goods retail company Williams-Sonoma: Remote hiring

“gives us the flexibility to not only attract great talent that otherwise might not want to travel to a location.”  “It also allows us to expand our talent pool by getting us into markets all across the United States.”

SYKES Executive Vice President and General Manager, Jim Farnsworth, says:

remote work helps the company “make geography our ally.” SYKES “can go anywhere to find specialized talent in tech, finance, and healthcare, or whatever expertise is required.”

3. Remote workers are more loyal, engaged, and grateful to the company

When employees have access to flexible work options like remote work, global computer technology company and long-time remote work leader Dell says tJennifer Newbill, Director of Global Employment Brand at Dell, says, “Our employees who indicate that they have flexibility in their current roles have a higher eNPS [Employee Net Promoter Score]. What is good for the employees can also be good for business.”  They become active promoters of the organization and loyal, engaged employees.

Employees with high eNPS scores will “enthusiastically recommend employment at a company,” explains CultureIQ’s Jamie Nichol, in “The Employee Net Promoter Score: The What, the Why, the How.”

“Companies in the top quartile of employee engagement have 10% higher customer ratings.”  That translates to customer satisfaction and, presumably, increased revenues.

Putting Remote Work into Practice

Companies like these four and the rest of the 100 top companies for remote work have created programs that seek to maximize the benefits by overcoming challenges, and as remote work continues to grow, we should all learn from their examples.

How This Translate To You and Your Practice

Taking advantage of remote workers is simply outsourcing work that you want done by freelancers.  This frees both you and your staff up to perform normal daily functions without worrying about your social media presence, blogs, articles, email campaigns to patients and newsletters.  It’s all professionally done for you.

A fundamental shift in the way small businesses and professional practices operate in the 21st century is to utilize freelancers instead of traditional employees.

In fact, research from The Plato Group shows, “One-third of Americans — roughly 42 million — are freelancers, with experts forecasting freelancers to make up 50 percent of the full-time workforce by 2020.” Hiring freelancers is becoming the norm and offers some distinct advantages.

4 Benefits of Outsourcing to Freelancers

1. Less Expense

You can eliminate many of the costs that inhibit profitability and long-term growth such as:

  • Work space – Most freelancers telecommute
  • Training – Most freelancers already possess all of the necessary skills and qualifications
  • Perks such as healthcare, retirement, paid sick leave and so on -Freelancers are independent contractors and as such are responsible for these perks.

2. Find Top Talent

Hiring freelancers puts you in a position where you can hire consummate professionals for each task.

For instance, you could hire a highly skilled social media specialist, an SEO expert to boost your search rankings and a content marketer for your blogs, articles and web content.

3. Flexibility

Freelancers don’t have to work any set hours, so you can have them work when the office is closed and get only the amount of time that is needed.

 

4. Time-Saver

Extended training periods by you are not necessary with freelancers. You have the freedom to get the ones that work for you and if not, simply find another one who’s more suitable.

Are You In?

There are many freelancers available to suit your needs.  I would be happy to discuss your goals and wants with you.  Simply call 561-325-9664 or Barbara@TheMedicalStrategist.com for a free consultation.