Recently it’s come to our attention here at M’agency that some people are put off by the fact that our workforce is 100% remote. We have no physical office, no official desks, chairs, and landline communcation devices (otherwise known as telephones). Instead our work is completely mobile, from home or while traveling, over the internet and mobile devices (otherwise known as cell phones and laptops).

It’s not uncommon for a potential client to ask, “Well, how does that work?” or even deny our services completely because they don’t think we’ll do a good job if we’re spread out everywhere, working on our own schedules. The simple truth is actually quite the opposite.

We work better as a team from all over the world than we would in a confined office space during pre-set hours.

Why?

The benefits of working from home have been studied time and time again by various corporations in recent years. Forbes published an article in 2012 outlining the benefits for employees and their employers when people work from home.

For the employers the main 5 benefits are:

  1. You can hire the best talent without the restriction of a geographical location.
  2. You don’t have to offer an increased salary to steal top talent from another company.
  3. Employee loyalty will increase.
  4. Productivity and engagement are higher.

For employees the top 5 benefits are:

  1. Work/Life balance.
  2. Saving money on gas.
  3. Avoiding traffic and a long commute.
  4. More productivity.
  5. A quieter atmosphere with fewer distractions and a less stressful environment.

How does this benefit our clients?

It’s all fine and dandy that the boss is getting better results and the employees are happy, but what about the clients? For us, “on our time” means our work is actually around the clock. We work around life schedules, traveling, and even military service. M’agency has employees around the world, not just in the country. There are times when half of us are asleep that someone else in our “office” is hard at work on the other side of the world.

The main benefits of remote work for our clients are:

  1. Our clients get top talent from anywhere in the world. We have no limitations on where we hire or who we hire, and generally only work with the best and those who mesh well with our team. This also means you don’t have to restrict yourself to talent from within your area; you can choose to work with an agency, like M’agency, remotely as well.
  2. We work around the clock. This means whenever our clients have a question or issue, we will always answer quickly. This doesn’t mean all of us are always online at all times. It just means that there’s rarely an hour of the day where none of us are available.
  3. Creativity is enhanced in happier employees who have a more balanced lifestyle, so our clients get the best results possible. In marketing especially, creativity is key. The opportunity to work from home, or wherever we may choose, gives us the ability to harness our creative genius much more effectively than in an office environment.
  4. Productivity is proven to be higher in employees who work remotely. That means we’re much more productive and engaged with our clients and their projects.
  5. We travel! If our clients need to see us face to face, our team loves to travel. It’s why we all work remotely. Traveling to visit clients, traveling to visit each other or traveling to just travel and gain more creative freedom, is our specialty. Plus, all that travel helps us see and come up with innovative ideas based on our experiences all over the globe.

The cold hard truth is that the brick and mortar office is dead.

Telecommuting has proven to be much more effective in multiple workplaces than working in the office. In fact, home-based workers experience a 13 to 22 percent increase in productivity according to USNews and a 50% increase in job satisfaction as reported by Mental Floss. This is true here in the United States and around the world. BBC also posted an article in 2013 highlighting the future of the workplace largely functioning via telecommute.

Before you shun an agency or business with a workforce that is mostly or entirely remotely based, ask them about their workflow. How do they meet regularly? How do they maintain projects and deadlines? What is the client-agency relationship like? How would they communicate effectively with you? 

If you have any questions on working remotely, be sure to contact us.