As a company, we are based in 4 different countries, across different timezones, and the ones within the same country are 100s of miles apart. Like a lot of organisations these days, we work remotely, some from shared office spaces and some from our homes - and no, just because I happen to be wearing my pyjama trousers right now, it doesn't mean I sit around binging Grey's Anatomy all day! The Walking Dead is much more my kind of thing...
But in all seriousness, remote working has loads of benefits and we all think it's a brilliant setup. Without it, I for one would not be able to do this job as I'm simultaneously studying on campus at UHI in Fort William - commuting to the head office in Glasgow every day would be quite the trek! Which brings me to the first of our reasons why we love remote working:
1. Less Commuting Time
Working remotely, especially from home means that you spend significantly less time stuck in traffic trying to get to the office. This alone has several knock on effects - firstly, it improves employees' motivation. The idea that you're going to face a long, stressful commute to work can very quickly put you off.
Secondly, it frees you up and gives you more time in the morning to complete your routine how you want to. There's no need to leave an hour before you start to make sure you make it in on time, because you only need to make it to your desk in the next room. We spend this extra time having a great breakfast, with our families, and even doing some morning meditation and yoga!
Lastly, it helps the environment. By working from home or being able to choose a co-work space nearby, we aren't driving our cars as much and therefore doing a bit to save the planet - incredibly important!
2. More Flexible Hours
Working remotely and not having to turn up to a specific location at a specific time means we can keep our working hours really flexible. This, coupled with our brilliant new 4-day work week which we have recently jumped on board with (you can read about that and its benefits here!) means we can really make our time suit us and fit our schedule around other commitments, our hobbies, our families, and time off.
Working to our own schedule also allows us to be more present in these other aspects of our lives, such as at home, and does wonders for the sense of work/life balance!
3. Higher Productivity
Our flexible hours, increased motivation, and improved work/life balance creates a really great result for 448 Studio as a company - we are all more productive! It's so much easier to enjoy your work when a) you are doing something you love, and b) you are doing it where you feel comfortable and working to a schedule that you set yourself.
It has already been proven that remote workers can be up to 40% more productive than office-based employees! [1]
Remote working and all the benefits that it brings is a great way to motivate your employees and therefore increase work quality and productivity - and for us, the proof is in the pudding. We look around and see what a fantastic job the team is doing and we know we're on the right track!
4. Increased Employment Reach
Remote working removes another huge barrier that exists for lots of new employees - relocating. As a company, it means we are able to employ experts no matter where they are from, because there is no pressure on them to 'up sticks' and leave their lives behind for the job. It's great for us as it's one of the things that makes our team so brilliant, being able to recruit from all over the world!
As employees, it means we are free to be where we are at our happiest - since starting this job I have moved to the other side of Scotland and David, our Head of Marketing has relocated to sunny Portugal!
5. We Are More Connected
If you work in an office with people, you probably see them everyday and hear about their lives; you maybe chat about your holiday plans and exchange work emails and then maybe forget about what they told you by next week - there's just so much going on. For us, we don't see each other every day so there is little opportunity for small talk and chit chat. In some ways, this brings us closer together as a team. We have to make a point of staying connected, and I think we do it rather well.
When we do catch up, we share the fun, important stuff, and our work-based communication skills have grown exponentially. We can't just ask across the office what this email is all about so we have had to get good at really explaining, collaborating, and asking questions. It makes us work better as a team and value each other more when we're around.
Overall, remote working has so many benefits for us, ranging from environmental, to motivational, to personal, and we're seeing the benefits company-wide (a little thanks to our 4-day work week too). Keep an eye out on our socials (found below) for photos and videos of what we all get up to with our flexible time and working from our own corners of the world - there's plenty of fun photos and videos incoming!
