How Remote Work Improves Productivity & Employee Retention

The future of work is remote — and with employment industry trends like the Great Resignation giving more leverage to workers, businesses have had to reevaluate their relationship with flexible work policies.

This shift away from traditional office settings has been met with mixed reactions, but the data shows that there are many benefits to be had when companies embrace remote work.

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As one of the largest staffing agencies in the country, we at Mondo looked at our own data around our remote work policy and the resulting impact across key employment metrics.

Mondo’s remote work policy

Transitioning to a remote work structure for Mondo was an easy call in early 2020 because of our agile workforce and proactive approach to everything we do.

Our remote work policy is simple: 100% of our workforce is allowed to work from home or wherever they like within the United States.

As a result, Mondo has seen our 200+ person team thrive in their remote environments.

Benefits of remote work observed from enacting our own work-from-home policy

Mondo aggregates its own data around our remote work policy and the numbers highlight what we originally suspected: remote work has had a positive impact on key employment metrics across the board. 

1. Remote work improves employee retention

By transitioning to a fully remote work environment early in the pandemic, we have seen a 17% increase in employee retention.

• 56% | Mondo’s retention rate from 2018-2019 (pre-pandemic & pre-remote work policy)
• 62% | Mondo’s retention rate from 2019-2020 (during pandemic & remote work transition)
• 73% | Mondo’s retention rate in 2022 YTD (real-time snapshot)

2. Remote work inspires innovation

Working remotely enabled our staff to find ways to incorporate more cross-collaboration among clients, consultants, and our internal team.

This allowed us all to innovate new ways to overcome the unique challenges of the changing employment landscape together. 

As a result, Mondo has developed highly client-focused departments to help close employment gaps left behind as a result of the pandemic, the Great Resignation, and the continuing tech boom.

• Developed new specialized teams: Agency on Demand (AOD) to match agencies with candidates who have the unique agency experience they need, and the Media, Entertainment, and Gaming team (MEG) to better serve our growing media and gaming client base. 
  
• Prioritized Consultant Acceleration (CX) to become a specialized resource to the growing, unemployed talent pool left behind by the pandemic. CX helps candidates get placed faster while acting as an additional support layer to advocate for candidates once they’re placed to ensure they are happy and successful in their new roles. 

3. Remote work attracts top talent

Another fringe benefit of going fully remote is that Mondo has been able to prioritize things like soft skills and value alignment in our hiring process rather than hiring based on technical skill and experience level alone.

Because of this, the opportunity to hire “outside the box” has enabled us to attract top talent and grow because of remote work.

• 25% | Net increase in total company headcount in Mondo’s growth since 2020

4. Remote work improves productivity

One of the most common misconceptions about remote work is that employees will be less productive when working from home.

However, in Mondo’s highly results-based promotion structure, there has been a significant increase in efficiency and productivity proven by the increase in promotions year over year since Mondo went fully remote.

• 71 | Mondo promotions in 2021
• 84 | Mondo promotions in 2022 YTD

5. Remote work increases workplace diversity

Remote work has also allowed Mondo to open up its candidate pool by not being tied to physical locations and, as a result, has seen an increase in diversity.

• 14% | Mondo’s diversity rate in 2020
• 19% | Mondo’s diversity rate in 2021
• 27% | Mondo’s diversity rate YTD in 2022 

While Mondo experienced the obvious benefits like improved retention, diversity, and growth, what came as an unexpected benefit is that offering remote work has made Mondo much more intentional with how we operate.

This includes everything from being more intentional with how and when we meet to how we foster team building and how we prioritize our team.

Internal communication has become more streamlined and has allowed Mondo to become more innovative in how we build our client relationships.

Major corporation remote work policies 

Industry-wide, the story remains the same — as seen in recent news headlines about corporations that have faced employee backlash over return-to-work policies.  

Spotify remote work policy

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, Spotify announced it would enable its 6,500 employees to work remotely resulting in a significant increase in retention, internal headcount, and global diversity.

As a result, many are commending Spotify for paving the way for other companies to offer their own remote work policies and reap the benefits of lower turnover rates and increased diversity.

Versus…

Tesla remote work policy

In a leaked email to Tesla staff, CEO Elon Musk discussed his return to office plans for executives. In his plan, Musk states that executives and other key employees must return to the office at least 40 hours a week or, “depart Tesla.” 

Since then, Musk has faced backlash over his harsh stance on remote work, leaving some to speculate whether or not his employment practices have been a contributing factor in mass layoffs and Tesla’s stock plunge.

The future of remote work

The pandemic has pushed the employment landscape to change faster than ever before and companies that don’t embrace remote work will be left behind.

While some firms are hesitant to make the switch, there is an ever-growing list of companies like Mondo who have made the switch to remote work with great success.

So whether you’re a company looking to make the switch or an employee looking for a more flexible work environment, remote work is here to stay.

More articles about top industry trends:

• Companies Face Backlash Over Return to Office Plans
• Mass Layoffs in 2022: What’s Next for Employees?
• Why Take-Home Assignments are the Biggest Mistake for Hiring Managers
• Pay Transparency: What States Have It & Why It’s Important
• How to Adjust Tech Hiring Criteria Without Sacrificing Quality
• What is Employee Appreciation & Why is it Important?