An opportunity to change the way we work?

During four short weeks in March 2020, most traditional office jobs adapted so they could be done from home. Suddenly meetings that had to be completed face-to-face were occurring virtually, essential travel turned out not to be actually essential, and people reduced the number of meetings they were having as issues were dealt with in a quick phone call or email. Five years on the benefits of working from home remain strong.

This step away from the need to work set hours and be physically present in an office space has been a huge opportunity for working mothers and the businesses who hire them.

Working remotely saves time

The obstacle created by needing to go to a specific location to work is huge. First, there’s the commute. Door-to-door, I don’t think many commutes would be less than 45 minutes. That’s an hour and a half of travel time each day – time that could be spent in better ways. Then there’s the time required to make yourself presentable for a professional environment. I’d put this at an additional 30 minutes. I think by not having to work from a specific location, you get an additional two hours in your day.

Working remotely saves money

This is true for both the business and the worker. That wardrobe of professional clothes costs money and as I sadly discovered from my accountant, clothes aren’t tax deductible (they’re not, in fact, classed as costumes). Commuting costs money, and so does the food and drink you end up buying in your breaks. Savings can also be made by the business – less office space, electricity, stationery and consumables required.

Working remotely is more productive

How many times have you found yourself sitting in a meeting thinking “this could have been an email”? Working remotely encourages people to keep meetings for when they’re really necessary. Working remotely also shifts the focus to outputs rather than hours. Workers’ productivity starts to get measured by what they’re achieving, and not how many hours they’ve spent sitting at the desk. This encourages more productive behaviour because the sooner you get your work done, the sooner you move other things.

Working remotely gives you access to a bigger talent pool

If you’re a business that’s open to different ways of working, you’re opening your business to a bigger pool of talent. Working mothers have an amazing – and often underutilised – set of skills. The number of permanent part-time roles in the workforce is low, and these roles are rarely attached to the exciting and challenging aspects of a business. Very talented and accomplished women find returning to work difficult, because they’re often looking for options that aren’t full-time. By offering roles that allowed for remote work and remunerate on outputs rather than hours, you become very appealing to this untapped talent.

Jasmine Hardy Mills is one of the founders of Part Time Professionals. She is a business owner, learning specialist, and champion of solutions to help women work more flexibly. She lives with her husband and their three children in Porirua.