Remote work rules: why we need it to stay - Kim Lanza, Director, Remote-First Team Member Success

One of the most significant workplace evolutions in recent years has been the focus on remote or hybrid working, with people globally having been introduced to flexible working in some shape or form due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At Cimpress/Vista we saw many benefits after “remote-forced” was introduced as a necessity in March 2020. So many benefits that, in August 2020, we made a transformative decision to transition to a remote-first company and fully commit to working remotely.

Fast forward to present day, and we are setting the precedent for our company and team members on how to successfully operate remotely. The proof is in the numbers - in our most recent bi-annual survey of remote-first team members, 82% of respondents believe that remote working will be good for them in the long term, and 78% credit remote-first as a reason that they will be more likely to stay with the company. This is particularly positive to see in the context of the Great Resignation happening all over the world. Instead, we have seen a 300% increase in job applications since moving to remote-first, and on average 69% of our new hires over the past six months have claimed our flexible remote culture as one of the reasons they applied for a career with us. Remote working is not just how we work – it's become a defining part of our culture, and we are proud to share what has worked for us so far.

A boost in productivity

Pre-pandemic, there was concern among our business leaders that working from home would distract people and result in a lower level of productivity. Those mindsets have since shifted drastically. The past couple of years have proven that people are as productive, if not more so, when working from home, with our latest internal survey finding 79% of remote-first team members agreed that they are equally or more productive working remotely, compared with an office environment.

To ensure working from home can boost team member productivity, it is essential that the correct tools and practices are in place to support the outcomes you want to see. We crafted our remote-first handbook to guide people through best practices for working remotely, from minimizing meetings to engaging in asynchronous working. The handbook is constantly evolving with contributions from team members as we continue to learn together to improve the remote-first experience. Additionally, we’ve rolled out virtual collaboration tools, such as Miro, and developed learning and development opportunities specifically designed to support remote-first team members and their needs.

Re-balancing work-life harmony

Working from home means that people have more flexibility in their day and more time to do the things they love - whether that’s being with family, rock climbing in the afternoon, or travelling across the country in a camper-van. Our survey found that 70% of respondents felt remote working has improved their work-life harmony. And, contrary to suggestions that remote work risked becoming boundary-less and could lead to burnout, 72% of remote-first team members felt empowered to prioritise their well being over their work as a result of working remotely.

We have also introduced the concept of a non-linear workday, which means that people can work when they feel the most productive – and also fit work around life’s moments that are too important to miss. Additionally, team members are encouraged to re-balance their work-life harmony with initiatives like Recharge Fridays, where they take Friday afternoons off over the summer. It has been encouraging to see the positive impact these overall efforts have had on our team members’ well-being and engagement. Our remote-first team member engagement score, which measures team members’ commitment, advocacy, and overall satisfaction with the company, is 3.5 times higher now than it was in October 2020, putting Cimpress/Vista in the top 25% of most engaged tech companies according to Workday’s Peakon Employee Voice benchmark.

For Cimpress/Vista, implementing a committed remote-first working model has increased productivity and improved team member well-being. The two going hand in hand. It’s time for companies that are shying away from fully committing to remote working to pause and consider the benefits remote working brings from all angles - happier team members lead to higher productivity and a thriving business.