5 reasons why remote working is a winner in Hong Kong

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What is remote working? It is when people work away from the office. It is also known as telecommuting and telework, and it is more common than you may think. In certain industries employees such as travelling sales people and call centre workers are often away from their office.

According to Regus, who reached out to over 26,000 business managers across 90 countries and regions, globally 48% now work remotely for at least half their working week. In Hong Kong the figure is lower at 36%, while in China 53% of executives work flexibly for at least half the week. Both Taiwan and Singapore are just above the global average, at 46% and 45% respectively.

I used to work full-time in an office, for almost 15 years. Five days a week, I was going to work at 9am and returning home around 6pm. This year I work in a completely remote way. We do have several co-working offices around the world for meetings but most of the time I work from home, coffee shops, public transport, library or anywhere with a good internet connection.

Before you ask, no, I am not a freelancer or contract worker, I am a full-time employee with all the company benefits. As you may expect, I am working remotely now to write my five reasons why remote working is good in Hong Kong:

1. Saving costs

Employers and employees both benefit. Companies’ utility bills are lower, there are less sundry costs and less stationary expenses, while less people in the office means less rent. Additionally, remote workers waste less time on travel.

Hong Kong is a small city and public transport is highly effective, but I would easily spend 45 minutes daily from door to door, and the same amount of time going back home. That is 7.5 hours a week or almost a full working day.

2. Productivity increases

Remote workers are more efficient. I hear managers thinking that that is all nice and well but I don’t trust people when they work from home. I think there is a misconception and fear that those who are away from the office are less productive, but perceptions are shifting, according to a study from Dell and Intel.

More than half of their employees globally now believe that their peers who work from home are just as productive or more productive, than those in the office. A study by Stanford Business School also suggests that people who work from home take less breaks, take less sick leave, and are happier, and happier people deliver better work and are more productive.

3. More focused

According to Businessnewsdaily.com 48% of office workers were frequently interrupted by their peers or colleagues. At home, I don’t have colleagues around me during the day so I can completely dedicate myself to work without being interrupted. Reducing interruption, not only at work, is one of the reasons that productivity decreases.

Another benefit is that meetings are kept to a minimum. Twice a week I have a conference call with the U.S. team, and that’s it. All of my communication is done digitally. I use several software solutions including Slack, GoToMeeting, Basecamp, Trello, Jira, Whatsapp, Skype, email, and less frequently I make telephone calls.

Using these remote software solutions ensures that every team member knows exactly what’s going on, what has been done, and what needs to happen. This approach has minimised chit chat, which often happens in regular business meetings.

If you have a conference call, you’ll make sure every minute counts. If you write an email you make sure you articulate it well. Talking is great but sometimes you just want a straightforward answer. Emails in particular are great to get to the point and cut out the fluffy words. Avoiding unnecessary meetings allows me to be more focused.

4. Attract the best people

Finding the right talent is a challenge for every business. Working remotely can not only give you access to better skilled and experienced professionals, but you may also be able to pay them less, especially if your business is in an area with a high cost of living. The cost for hiring locally might be anywhere from 10 to 50 percent more if you hired someone who lives in the central area.

5. Saving the environment