The Impact of Working from Home on a Small Business

Due to the Covid-19 crisis, the majority of companies now operate remotely. The economic instability has forced small enterprises to adjust to an unusual work environment. We conducted a poll of companies with 20 to 250 employees to find out how work-from-home has affected their operations and what the future of work, at least for the foreseeable future, may hold.

The outcomes shocked us and revealed a significant, long-term influence on numerous economic sectors. Not only is it altering how individuals work, but it is also affecting how small businesses buy and sell. The work-from-home culture will have extensive, long-lasting effects. Continue reading to learn how remote work will affect your small business and how to overcome them.

Working from home is already a reality, not just in the future

Despite being pushed by the crisis to work remotely, the majority of businesses intend to keep doing so because of the advantages it has in the long run.

“Working from home can be highly rewarding and productive, and many of my coworkers and I would like to keep doing it until the pandemic is over.” quote from Tyler Brooks, JAM Paper.

According to 75% of survey participants, every employee in their company works remotely. The fact that 33% of small businesses surveyed said they did not intend to open an office in the future is more significant. Another 33% anticipate limiting office visits to only those employees who are absolutely necessary.

“By October, we plan to gradually shift our operation to a 100% remote model. Our office’s lease is up at this time, so there’s really no incentive to keep it open.” — Dan Bailey, President of WikiLawn

Decrease in the need for office space

Small enterprises will no longer require as much office space, which is one clear effect. It will be difficult for landlords to recruit new renters once the current leases expire. Real estate management and facilities management companies may continue to lay off employees.

“We intend to offer everyone the option of working from home or the office. 90% of our staff prefer working from home, for a variety of reasons, according to a monthly poll we do. We might save time and money if things continue this way by not returning to the workplace.” — Malte Scholz, co-founder, and CEO of Airfocus.

Decentralized procurement of office supplies

Be prepared to adapt your business approach if you sell stationery and other office products to small businesses. Your clients could prefer that you bring the products to the employees’ residences rather than their workplaces. Increased complexity and greater delivery costs would result from this.

The necessity for Tools to manage remote workers

When employees work from home, time and attendance methods that were typically used in offices don’t function. Due to the fact that many businesses bill clients or pay employees by the hour, keeping track of time is essential for monitoring employee computer activities. Even if you don’t have to bill or pay employees per hour, keeping track of how much time they spend working is still crucial for a number of reasons. Our time tracking software has experienced a sharp increase in demand here at Work Examiner.