Making the Business Case for Building a Remote Tech Team

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An image of a remote working employee

It’s Time to Think Remote or Hybrid Working. 

If you’re not prepared to transition to a remote team, get ready to lose out on top tier talent. An increasing number of employees are expecting to see more flexible work options.  Read on to understand the benefits of remote and hybrid working in the post-pandemic world.   

 

Figures Don’t Lie 

Globally, big tech corporates such as Compaq, British Telecom, IBM and Sun Microsystem are evidence-basing remote working as being great for business. 

Reports of 35-40% higher productivity amongst teams is being recorded. This is due to many employees using the time saved from commuting to focus on performing work.  

For IBM it meant saving approximately $50 million on real estate overheads. Whereas communications giant, Nortel have made significant savings by reducing staff relocation costs.   

Of course, there are operational costs to consider. But adopting a remote working strategy long-term carry clear attractive cost-saving benefit.  

 

Clear-Cut Cost Benefits 

Businesses indirectly lose millions of dirhams a year to sick leave and workplace distraction. As much as 20% office time is recorded as unproductive. Losing an employee due to lack of workplace flexibility can cost you Dhs. 20,000 – 50,000+. Plus of course, the time cost of training. 

  

Access to Wider Talent Pool 

Employing remote workers gives you access to outstanding tech talent from across the globe, opening up the possibilities of building a world-class team.  There is a growing presence of digital and tech talent in regions like Latin America and Eastern Europe, offering a wealth of talent at ideal cost/quality levels.  The SGP community of tech professionals extends across 40 countries.  This goes a long way in allowing us to source top-tier talent for our clients.  

Great digital & tech talent is hard to find. So why restrict your talent search?  

 

Rising Demand for Remote and Hybrid Work Opportunities 

The pandemic accelerated the rise in demand for long-term remote working opportunities. However, this trend was being shaped long before. There are professionals already highly adept at overcoming the challenges of being logged-on remotely.  

After conversations with our community, we know that many highly skilled DevOps Engineers, software developers and UI/UX designers are principally looking for remote working opportunities. 

Many tech & digital professionals have decided that relocation or a daily commute is no longer the only option. They know they can get offered great opportunities from companies already embracing remote teams. 

 

Remote Working  More Important Than Pay? 

According to studies, two-thirds of people would choose the opportunity to work remotely over a pay rise with some even citing they would take a pay cut to ensure the benefit. This latter point benefitting talent acquisition – with options to hire talent remotely that would otherwise be unaffordable if you tried to onboard them on an on-site basis. 

 

Empowering Employees 

Employers already embracing remote teams are witnessing improved productivity, huge reduction in unscheduled absences and improved staff retention due to employee satisfaction.   

Remote workers tend to be more independent and self-directed. Asynchronous communications allow people to communicate more efficiently.  Additionally, remote standups are better planned and more likely to stay on track.  

As a result of the reduction in commuting time, costs associated with heading to a workplace, autonomy and improved work life balance, satisfaction levels of workers are sharply on the rise.  

 

Reduction in Carbon Footprints  

And finally, who isn’t attracted to the environmental positives we can all be proud of? Less commuting means less cars on the road, means less pollution. Offices tend to be bigger energy consumers than home set-ups.  

And with everyone wishing to contribute to reducing their carbon footprint, your remote-working policy can be communicated as positive; with corporate responsibility making you an attractive employer to the intelligent, smart talent.  

 

When it comes to building a killer team, productivity, wastage, staff retention and staff churn are valid concerns, all of which have a real effect on your bottom line.  The last thing you want to do is damage your team’s productivity levels due to the lack of flexible working options.   

If a global pandemic has not convinced you to start thinking about the benefits of remote and hybrid working, and introducing flexible work options for your firm, maybe this blog will do the trick.