What are the benefits of geographical inclusion for remote companies?

Working from home is a relatively new phenomenon, spurred on by the lockdowns which were put into place during the global pandemic. Since then, it’s become the go-to option for a number of employees looking for the best possible work-life balance. So what are the benefits of geographical inclusion for remote companies?

For applicants, the self-management and organisational skills required for effective home working make great additions to any CV. And for companies, it’s more important than ever to disregard the address line at the top of a resume, due to the huge benefits of having a geographically diverse team.

One of the beauties of a remote-first workforce is that you aren’t restricted by lines on a map when hiring for new talent. Having the potential to hire on a global scale can be hugely beneficial for a business in any sector. Here are just a handful of reasons why you should adopt a geographically inclusive policy when hiring.

More options

Let’s kick things off with what is perhaps the most obvious and important reason to hire without borders: more options. By expanding who can apply for positions at your company, you will attract more talent and increase your opportunities to hire the perfect candidate.

Not only will you open yourself up to a diverse hiring pool, but you will also help prevent location bias when hiring. This unwanted bias is when recruiters look at commute distance as one of the main factors for choosing employees, which drastically reduces candidates chances of hire if they live outside a six-mile radius of the main office.

By widening the search and offering remote positions, you also make the position more appealing to potential candidates with varied life experience, which heightens the diversity and inclusion of your company as a whole. If you can pair remote working opportunities with flexible hours, you’ll also be helping to reduce gender bias by creating a desirable role for highly skilled candidates who also need to work around a busy home and family life.

Boost creative thinking

Having a varied workforce is one of the best ways to ensure you have fresh ideas to help to drive your company forward. By gathering a team of people from different cultures, countries and backgrounds, you’ll see new ideas and perspectives brought to the table. Boosting out -of-the-box, creative thinking within your teams can help to turn obstacles into opportunities and see your business grow faster.

Another area of potential profit from hiring worldwide is you’ll gain insight into new markets, which may allow for expansion of your company on an international scale.

Increased productivity

It’s no secret that working remotely increases productivity and a worker’s overall enjoyment of their job. In fact, multiple recent studies have shown workers perform better in remote or hybrid roles, and have increased efficiency when it comes to the ins and outs of their daily tasks.

Working from home means employees can take the small pauses necessary for maintaining optimal wellbeing and mental health. This reduces overall stress levels and makes employees more passionate, productive and effective. When your workforce is relaxed and happy, there’s less risk of burnout and people needing to take time off due to stress and exhaustion.

Reduced overhead costs

Another reason not to have a physical office that employees must commute to comes down to costs. You will dramatically decrease your overhead costs by allowing your workforce to work from home. No more exorbitant rental fees for your office space, and on top of that, that sky high energy bill will be a thing of the past. Plus, your employees will also benefit by being able to save time and money by not needing to commute.

Eco-friendly

The Covid-19 pandemic clearly showed us the benefits of reducing our exhaust fume emissions, with the environmental impacts being one of the few positive outcomes of this difficult time. As people worked from home, there were significant improvements in air quality across the globe. And by releasing less toxic fumes into the environment, water and soil quality also improved dramatically.  Reducing our time spent in the car is therefore clearly an essential way to protect our planet.

Furthermore, without an office to run, the lack of electricity usage, water and waste can significantly reduce a company’s carbon footprint. Running a large space filled with computers can consume high quantities of energy, not only to power workstations, but also to adequately heat and illuminate the room. Consequently, adopting geographical inclusion by offering remote working opportunities is a great step toward upping your eco-friendly initiatives.

Make the change

With so many benefits to expanding your hiring radius, it’s clear that hiring team members from all corners of the earth is a great way to ensure the best results for your company. Not only does this allow you to offer maximum job satisfaction for your employees, it’s also a great way to show your eco-friendly values. It’s well worth keeping these benefits in mind the next time you post a job listing, as expanding your geographical inclusion range could be a real game-changer.

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