Need a productivity boost? Let employees work from home

There is no debating the appeal of working from home: fewer distractions, no stressful commutes and more time spent with family or loved ones. It is no wonder that the practice has exploded in popularity in recent years, and become a powerful employee retention and recruiting tool for organizations that take advantage of the solution. 

According to Census Bureau statistics, remote working has grown 79 percent between 2005 and 2012, with over 3.2 million employees now performing their tasks from home at least half the time. The New York Times analysis of the data shows that many of those have in-demand skills and education. In fact, the average remote worker is "a 49-year-old college graduate — man or woman — who earns about $58,000 a year and belongs to a company with more than 100 employees."

As evidenced by its rise in popularity, telecommuting also benefits employers. One study by Stanford economics professor Nicholas Bloom found that working remotely significantly increases productivity. Bloom discovered that when the travel website Ctrip decided to allow half its staff to work from home, remote workers increased their overall productivity by 10 percent over a period of nine months. In a subsequent experiment at the same organization, in which the entire 16,000 person staff was allowed the option to work remotely, overall productivity skyrocketed by 22 percent.

However, for organizations interested in switching to a full virtual office solution, the need to meet with clients and team members face-to-face can still arise. On Point Executive Center's Tampa meeting rooms provide the perfect space to host your next meeting, complete with 70-inch touchscreen smartboards that can be leveraged to instantly include remote workers in the process as well as disseminate notes for increased collaboration.