Work from home policies have sizable benefits to both employees and businesses. Personally, I’ve worked virtual for years and can speak from my own experiences. But, we’re not here to talk about me.
The State of the Remote Job Marketplace report from FlexJobs reports roughly 3.9 
million Americans work from home at least half the time. Though not all jobs allow for telecommuting, many industries that previously shunned telecommuting like education and healthcare are now embracing the new life and work-style with the birth of organizations like Florida Virtual School (K-12 online public schools for kids), Teladoc, and more.
Business leaders and HR professionals have a lot of pull in workforce planning and organizational behavior. If you’re considering going virtual, here’s what you need to know:
1. Virtual employment lowers business overhead costs.
Businesses spend substantial amounts of money on overhead – buildings, security, maintenance, and office supplies. A study on telecommuting from Ohio State University showed that just 1 employee telecommuting can save a business $10,000 per year. Letting 100 employees work from home can save a business $1 million per year. A Stanford study found an organization that let employees work from home saved “$2,000 per year per employee” on office space. From an overhead cost perspective alone, virtual employment seems to make sense.
Of course, that’s not the only consideration…
2. Going virtual allows organizations to recruit the best people from a larger talent pool.
It’s no secret we’re in a tight labor market. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate is sitting at 3.6% as of April 2019. With the unemployment rate at the lowest it’s been since 1969, companies are struggling to hire necessary workers. Allegis Group’s 2018 Global Workforce Trends Reportfound that as many as 80% of employers have experienced talent acquisition challenges in this tight labor market. One solution to hiring challenges is to open the talent pool to candidates in non-commutable locations. Why struggle to fill a position in a specific location when you could be missing out on qualified candidates in other geographies?
3. Allowing employees to work from home means you can more easily hire and retain employees with disabilities.
Read the full article on LinkedIn.