The Advantages of Remote Work. The Cleverclip Way

Cleverclip employees presenting the advantages of remote work

“Work from anywhere” – this has been the motto of innovative start-ups and the absolute dream of many office stallions for several years. And what has been so hip and trendy for a long time for some people has become an unwanted challenge for the others.

Covid-19 has more or less shut down daily working life and has confronted many unprepared companies with the big task of restructuring work processes to the home office. But instead of facing these difficult and uncertain times with unease, it is better to adapt to the circumstances in a targeted manner. After all, agility, digital thinking and the ability to innovate are indispensable, especially now.

In fact, even without a pandemic, a home office work culture can be very beneficial in many aspects and deliver decisive added value. In this article you will learn more about it.

No commuting

Have you ever got stuck in rush hour traffic and lost a few thousand nerve cells with every millisecond? Or squeezed together on the train where the sweaty hand of the other passenger suddenly grazed your face? The commute to work, especially during rush hour, has an enormous impact on our well-being and therefore also on our immune system. At the same time, of course, it takes away valuable time that we could invest in other activities that help us to balance our minds. Not to forget, less driving would also be a step towards sustainability. Greta Thunberg says hi.

More qualified candidates

The time when you”ll need new employees will come. With the move to home office, you can hire talents from around the world according to your individual needs. Btw, especially among younger candidates, the desire for at least partial remote work has become a basic requirement. With Home Office, you can not only find qualified employees globally, but also positively influence employer branding.

Reduced costs

Working from home saves commuting costs, but also office space. According to Forbes, home offices can save companies as much as $11,000 a year in expenses. For new talent, you have the option of hiring from locations where income levels are lower. Even if you’re already renting office space, you can reduce your costs, at least in terms of electricity.

The savings will help you to overcome the expected economic crisis of the pandemic more easily on the one hand, but also to not make any cuts in other divisions, such as salaries to not unnecessarily burden your employees.

Increased productivity

Despite the widespread myth, according to a study by Stanford University, productivity in the home office actually increases by 77%. A survey by Global Workplace Analytics even confirms that 53% of remote employees are willing to work overtime. For office employees, it is only 28%.

In fact, I can confirm from my own experience that having the own private room or a self chosen environment according to personal preferences has a very positive effect on free thinking and generally reduces pressure. By this. I don’t mean that you can stream Netflix while working  (also a feared myth of some managers), but a traditional office can, especially in creative work, hinder the ideas’ flow.

Another point that contributes to higher productivity is the flexibility of working hours. Each of us is most productive at different times. One is a morning person and can complete important tasks before sunrise, while the other works most efficiently during the deepest night.

Greater employee retention

What could be worse than losing qualified employees in the already difficult economic situation? According to Forbes, 54% of the employees surveyed confirm that they would be willing to change jobs to gain more flexibility. In addition, an employee would be 13% more likely to stay with a company with remote work options for the next 5 years.

What does the Cleverclip gang say?

It is best to learn first hand, from people who have already gained experience in this field. Cleverclip has been a Swiss pioneer in this field for 7 years and has over 30 employees all over the world today.

That’s why I asked my Cleverclip team what they personally appreciate most about remote work and where they see the biggest advantages of home office. Here we go, real life experience reports from our CC team.

“I enjoy the flexibility and that I don’t “loose” time for commuting to work. While I can work in a calm environment to stay focused, I also have the option to change the place any time, thus benefiting my creativity.” Ari, Copywriter

“I love being near my loved ones and available for spontaneous coffee breaks. Also, it gives me opportunity to coordinate my working hours with other freelance jobs and to walk the dog at any time of the day.” Doris, Outbound Marketer

“I love that I can work whenever and wherever I want.” Carlo, Founder & CEO.

“I enjoy being able to decide when to work and taking breaks if I don’t feel like working. And besides that I can cook and make coffee at home whenever I want.” Carlos, Storyboard Artist.

“I love to structure my day like I want to: Playing tennis in the afternoon, going to the gym in the morning and working from anywhere like the train, a café or from the balcony/garden. And the best: I can do my groceries when no one else does them!”. Tim, Consultant.

“I love working early in the morning and sometimes in the evening, so I have some time for myself during the day. Therefore I really appreciate that I’m flexible and can structure the day according to my needs. I also enjoy working in trains or at home.” Rahel, Operations.

“Being able to start my working day when it suits ME personally – in my case really, really early in the morning. The freedom to do some private tasks, like bringing kids to school or cooking lunch or simply taking a longer break when i feel uninspired. Also – very important! – when I’m not feeling well i can either take off a whole day or just rest for a couple of hours”. Selma, Outbound Marketer.

“I like having the flexibility to arrange my day in the most beneficial way. Working from home also teaches me to be more organized and develop a personal discipline. Besides that, I really love taking longer breaks to cook.” Alejandro, Motion Designer.

“I can organize the day as I want and change the place where I work from (a cafe, a coworking space, my house). As we have a great communication system in our company and I therefore know all the time what is happening in the projects I’m involved in, I don’t feel like I’m working on my own.” Bea, Visual Artist.

“I can work from anywhere at anytime i want, as long as I self manage the time and keep all deadlines in mind. I can also visit my parents and family back at my hometown and work from there. It’s great having the flexibility to design the working hours according to personal needs:

For personal arrangements like going to the bank I can avoid peak hours, I can also buy my lunch before all the restaurant are getting too crowded at noon and finish my projects until a little later if there wasn’t a tight deadline.” Saimen, Motion Designer.

“I can work from home, from a coffee shop, from the office, basically from wherever I want. Plus, I can structure my day the way I want to.” Larissa, Consultant.

“I can organize my own time and don’t have to relay on a fixed schedule, which is good if you want to travel, but also self management is also important for your personal development. Not to forget it’s great to work in a nice environment of your choice and preference.” Peter, Motion Designer.

“I love that I’m totally flexible and can work from wherever I want. If I’m on the way to a client appointment, i can work on the way there as well. So no time loss at all. The biggest benefit is to work with those great people from all over the world. I just learn so much from everyone and get inspired every day.” Janine, Consultant.

“The best thing is that I can work from wherever and whenever, set up my own perfect workplace and go for a walk with my dog any time I or she wants. Also, I always have the flexibility to help out in the neighborhood (like babysitting for some hours, support an ill neighbor) or just being able to really take some time for hobbies. Did I mention that there’s also no commute time?” Marc, Intern.

“I like that I can work from wherever and whenever I want. The huge flexibility is just amazing. if I need to go to the doctor or another important appointment, I can simply go and do not need to take a day off my holiday budget. Plus I am a total sloth and therefore it’s amazing to be able to wake up 5 minutes before a meeting????.” Fabienne, Consultant.

“Definitely being able to work from anywhere wherever i want! I don’t have to ask anyone for permission to do some personal arrangements because i can just continue working when i get back home! It also helped me to learn about how important self management is.” Nart, Motion Designer.

“I love that I don’t have to commute to work every day and can work whenever I want”. Sebastian, Sound Designer.

“Working from wherever, whenever. I can adapt my working hours to my private plans and I can travel or visit friends & family without using my holiday budget.” Ivana, Outbound Marketer.

“I like that I can travel anywhere and still work. Also, I can self manage my day: Work, take a break for my own things, then work again…”.  Orlando, Visual Artist.

“Being able to plan my private life much more flexible is the biggest advantage for me. If I feel like having a bigger working break, I just do it. If I want to change the environment I just take the train that brings me wherever I want and work from there. It’s just absolut freedom!” Alain, Consultant.

“I don’t have to commute to work, which is a huge time saver and I don’t have to live in a huge city anymore! Also, I can adjust my working schedule to the hours when I’m most productive.” Jakub, Motion Designer.

“I can save on commute – means more time with family. The fact that you can disconnect and have productive time is also important to me.”

The challenges of Remote Work

Of course not everything is always rosy. Each of us is aware that home office can also be a great challenge. You have to be very disciplined and be able to work independently. We all miss regular personal contact with our colleagues every now and then, and we all had to learn a lot about self-management. “Some days I end sooner than expected and suddenly don’t know what to do with my time, other days I just don’t know when to stop” , says Alejandro, (Motion Designer).

Working with global talents also means working in different time zones. Orlando, our visual artist from Mexico, knows exactly how challenging this can be: “Sometimes I struggle with the time difference, as all the project managers from Switzerland want to get everything done before they finish their day – and that’s when I only wake up. So I have to rush in the morning, can’t get a breakfast nor shower to finish everything before they’re off”. “It’s hard to not work in the evening or weekend, because there is always someone working due to different time zones“, says Larissa (consultant).

Remote Work does not mean 24/7 availability though. Everyone is responsible for their own work-life balance and has to maintain it in a disciplined manner. “Being a good boss to yourself” is our motto.

“I think remote work is way harder that people imagine it to be, but it comes with great benefits and brings some new quality of life”, says Jakub, our motion designer. And this is where you as a manager play a decisive role. The values must be communicated clearly and unambiguously to the employees.

The team should become aware that, despite responsibility and priorities at work, the work-life balance must not be neglected.

The team should become aware that after an already 8-hour day, there is no need to worry about being fired, when swtiching off the phone.

The team should become aware that it is ok to say “no” when you feel exhausted.

This is important, because home office differs from the usual office everyday life. It is also crucial to organize regular personal meetings so that you don’t feel so isolated as an employee. “I miss the social aspect of working in an office and going out for a quick pint right after work”, Jakub mentions. This is exactly why we shared the idea of virtual hangouts in our remote work guide. In any case, social contact should be consciously encouraged in the home office.

If you communicate correctly internally, set clearly defined standards and work together as a team, you and your employees will quickly get a feel for remote work. And that even after the pandemic.

Peter (Motion Designer): “I feel that remote working is a huge benefit to both, employers and employees and should be implemented more often. It can also create a long term trust between the company and employee as both parties have to relay on each other”. We at Cleverclip are at least all very grateful and happy that we can do what we are passionate about – whenever and wherever we want.

Would you like to find out more about Remote Work? Then contact us or visit our blog.