If you’ve had employees come into the office for some decades, it may be difficult to see a reason for change.

But, COVID may have forced you to embrace remote working to a degree.

While you may be in the process of returning to the office, you don’t know how long these COVID variants will float around.

They could cause disruption for years into the future.

And so that makes you wise to have your contingency plans in place. Even though remote working may not be what you’re used to, it’s far from a bad thing.

In fact, your employees may even be happier and more productive when not in the office. Check out this research for proof:

1. Employees Who Work from Home Are More Productive

Many studies show this. It’s now to the point where you really can’t deny it anymore. And this includes studies during COVID-19, when workers have had their family members home with them.

One Stanford study of 16,000 remote workers found the average worker was 13% more productive.

Another survey found that 77% of employees who work from home at least a few times per month get more work done.

Still another study found that productivity increased by 47% from March 2020 when compared to March 2019.

Some studies do suggest mixed results.

One found that employees who worked from home on boring tasks didn’t get those tasks done as fast as the employees who worked from the office.

The theory was they sought a little more distraction from the monotony of their work while at home.

2. Attract Top Talent

The best employees want to work from home.

A FlexJobs survey found that 65% of employees surveyed want to work from home full-time (in the post-pandemic economy), while 31% want the ability to work from home or the office.

In other words, 96% of employees want to work from home to at least some extent!

3. Remote Workers Will Work More

Not only will they, but they already have. US working hours actually increased 40% in March 2020 when COVID broke out, which was an increase of 3 hours per day.

Employees spent 10% more time in meetings during the week.

And no other country saw such a massive increase in work hours.

At the same time, this appeared to have come at a cost. Consulting firm Eagle Hill found that 45% of workers felt burnout already in April 2020.

So, work-life balance, which can be one of the benefits of remote work, can also be threatened.

You can decide whatever you want. And now, you have more data available to help you make the best decision for your company.