4 reasons start-ups should forget about the office & go remote

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Is it time for startups to just forget about offices and go remote? The last year has shown us that office work really isn't all it's built up to be. The benefits of having an office seem almost non-existent in a lot of cases, while remote working presents a series of great advantages. 

Speaking of which, here are four reasons start-ups should ditch the old office life:

Far cheaper
The cost of remote work is tiny compared to the cost of working in an office. This is because you don't have to pay any rental costs, not to mention footing the bill on the energy. All you have to worry about are your own personal costs of working at home, which will be virtually non-existent. Factor in the lack of office maintenance costs as well, and you can see why it is cheaper. 

Fewer health & safety issues
As a business owner, there's nothing more worrying than health & safety concerns. Firstly, you spend a lot of money kitting your office out with things like fire curtains, fire extinguishers, slip n fall signs, other safety signs, and so on. These all link back to the first point about remote work being cheaper, but you also have the benefit of not dealing with these safety issues. So, there's no chance of an employee slipping and falling over in the office, where they can then sue you for compensation. Working from home eliminates these risks. 

Improved productivity
Your employees all get to design their ultimate work environment when they're not in an office. For some, this means setting up a little area at home where they feel comfortable and can work in peace and quiet. For others, it could mean going to a local coffee shop and working there. The point is that different people find productivity in different ways. Office life restricts everyone to the same routine and strict way of working. It's not always productive for everyone, while remote working gives your employees a choice!

Flexible working hours
Building on the previous point, remote work gives you the ability to allow flexible working hours in your startup. Instead of strictly doing the classic 9-5 office shift, employees could work at times that suit them best. Of course, it all depends on when your business needs to be productive - if you run a company that has to be active during 9-5, then people need to follow that shift. However, a startup has a chance to tap into more foreign markets if it works remotely. Flexible hours mean you could work on US time or Asian time to do business with people or companies over there. Thus, you broaden your horizons, get clients from all over the world and can be a success. 

When you think about it, you really wonder why a company would want to work in the office anymore. Hasn't it basically been proven that offices aren't necessary?! There are some caveats here and there depending on the business, but a lot of startups can benefit from leaving the office behind and switching to remote work.