Survey reveals employee retention is top reason to let people work from home
Remote work was once a necessity because of the COVID-19 pandemic; but now, research indicates that it has also grown as a way to retain employees.
A survey commissioned by Express Employment Professionals found that 76% of employers who have been offering remote work since the start of the pandemic are still allowing staff to work from home.
The most cited reason by employers in doing this is to retain employees (51%).
Other reasons include:
- employee preference (43%)
- attracting employees (39%)
- safety and health of employees (38%)
- lower overhead costs (34%)
The findings come as research from Hardbacon earlier this year revealed that 80% of Canadian employees would quit if management forced them to come back to office.
Express Employment Professionals' survey among 504 Canadian hiring decision-makers show that employers have grown to recognise this necessity of employees regarding remote work and are in fact, using it as an edge to retain and attract more staff.
"Remote work isn't going anywhere and, in fact, employers are using this flexibility as a recruitment strategy," said Hanif Hemani, an Express franchise owner in Saskatoon.
Productivity gains
Since implementing remote work, 49% of employers said that it has a positive impact on their organisation, while only 15% said it had a negative effect, according to the report.
In terms of productivity, 46% said it had no impact when compared to working on-site, 22% said employees became more productive, and 32% said employees became less productive with remote work.
With remote work's popularity among employees, employers should be guaranteed to have better engaged staff, which can lead to better productivity, according to Hemani.
"If employees are more engaged and more productive then the employer will benefit. In addition, if employees are more satisfied, they will be less likely to leave which will save companies time and money not having to deal with turnover and recruitment.”
Remote work will be worth a try amid the tight competition for talent, according to Bill Stoller, CEO of Express Employment Professionals.
"As long as productivity doesn't suffer, offering a remote work option for employees has many benefits and is a popular incentive shaping many companies' cultures right now," he said. "While this arrangement may not be feasible for everyone, competition for top talent is still fierce, so it may be worth a try."