There are a multitude of reasons why businesses should consider remote work, from its immense popularity with the labour force, alongside noted improvements in productivity and morale, to the cost savings for companies and workers alike. But added to that is the potential to fulfill DE&I goals, making remote work truly a win-win option, according to an executive in the recruitment field.

Joseph Boll is CEO of Remote Worker, an online jobs board and resource website for remote workers, remote work jobseekers, and companies seeking to recruit and hire top talent for remote positions.

“There has been a lot of talk about the benefits of remote work from the perspective of productivity, teamwork and collaboration, onboarding, expenses, retention, and the like,” says Boll.

“But one increasingly important area that can also benefit from remote work is diversity, equity and inclusion. The most seemingly direct potential is that companies can now recruit and hire from anywhere. So, even if they started off based in a community where hiring and retaining minority workers remained a challenge, remote work can virtually erase that struggle.”

The CEO adds that utilizing professional talent acquisition services and job board sites like Remote Worker can help facilitate this process even further, making recruitment far more convenient while simultaneously increasing chances of success.

Further, Boll notes the importance of DE&I for improving the overall workplace experience as well as improving brand reputation, both of which have direct results on a company’s success.

“Actually, several recent studies have shown that some of the major demographic groups that recruiters are looking to target vastly prefer remote jobs,” he says. “Here, again, is why businesses do themselves a disservice by not offering at least some form of remote work.”
Recent reports by ZipRecruiter and Employment Hero have both shown that younger and minority jobseekers and workers strongly prefer remote work to working in-person. In ZipRecruiter’s case, a study of 1,500 jobseekers in the US found that more than 60 percent of women consistently showed a strong preference for remote work, as compared to a little over 50 percent of men. That study also found that more than 60 percent of visible minorities preferred remote work, with nearly 70 percent of Black or African American workers having this preference. In terms of retention, Employment Hero’s survey also found that visible minorities who are already working remotely were as much as 44 percent more likely to quit their jobs if forced to return to physical offices.

Boll says, “This goes to show the multifold effects remote work can have on responsible companies that are seeking to get their diversity efforts right. With new data on this emerging, it’s the perfect time for businesses that have not already done so to seriously consider implementing remote work options.”

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About Remote Worker (US)
Remote Worker is designed to help hiring managers and businesses connect with job-seeking professionals for remote work positions. We are affiliated with Remote Worker (UK), ClickJobs.io and Caribbean Employment Services Inc. For more information, visit https://www.remoteworker.jobs or contact [email protected].