​When my business started making higher revenue with less people and more part time staff, I realised I stumbled onto a good thing. That was 3 years ago now. I also had my first child at the time and realised firsthand the value of remote working and flexibility in general.

I recently put out a survey asking for some data on the pros and cons of remote working with the aim of publishing a white paper to assist employees and employers with a best practice framework. The response was phenomenal and I have combined this with the results from our 2019 Product, Marketing & Digital Salary Survey which surveyed over 3,500 people.

Turns out, the can of worms is open, and my white paper is currently 20 pages long and is still only 1/3 of the way completed. Remote working is heavily individualised and there is a real lack of credible data which will assist me in writing a thorough paper. That said, it will be completed, and I can assure you it will not be 20 pages long!

In the meantime, here are some of the results to give you a flavour:

• 51% of participants work 1-2 days a week remotely;

• 42% requested working remotely for flexibility reasons and 24% requested it for lifestyle reasons;

• 68% share the advantages of working remotely are down to increased productivity given reduced travel time, and that it allows them to work at times that suit them;

• 37% say they are 11-30% more productive working remotely;

• 17% are less productive working from home due to life admin/house chores and children;

• 12% work remotely from a beach/pool/garden or boat.

As we move into a period of unprecedented change in relation to the future of the workforce; attracting, retaining and engaging the best talent becomes critical, therefore business leaders & decision makers need to be across as much information as possible to provide a thriving work environment for their employees. I look to forward to releasing the best practice for remote working in September 2019.

Victoria Butt is the Managing Director and Founder of Parity Consulting, recruitment experts in Product, Marketing, Communications and Digital – creating parity by investing in ALL relationships. An avid shark diver and lover of wine, professionally Victoria’s passionate about leadership, inclusion and diversity in the workplace and empowering women, in particular women looking to return to work after having children.

For a confidential discussion, Victoria can be contacted via email on vbutt@parityconsulting.com.au or via phone +61 402 418 326