More and more companies are hiring remote employees. But, are they good for business?

Recently, workplace flexibility allows some of your employees to work from somewhere other than the office, or at times other than from 9 to 5.

With the view that mandating in-person work is nothing short of antiquated, telecommuting can help your bottom line. Here are five reasons on why remote employees are more likely good for your company.

1. Remote employees spends more time for work

Perhaps, they are not working for eight hours straight. They can work even more hours than old fashioned employees.

A Stanford study found that call center workers working from home outperformed peers in the office, because they took shorter breaks and used less sick leave. They also reported higher levels of happiness and quit less often.

One caveat: Some workers didn’t do as well at home due to loneliness so it’s important to make sure remote work is a good fit according to each employee’s personality.

2. Employees who work from home are more engaged

A Gallup study which found not only do remote workers log more hours, they are slightly more engaged than their office counterparts.

The research showed people who worked remotely part time were the most engaged due to their ability to enjoy the best of both worlds -the opportunity to have in-person relationships with others in the office, while also being able to reap the benefits of working from home, such as fewer distractions.

See: Hiring Remote Workers? Here are 5 Considerations

3. Remote employees are less stressed

Office distractions aside, not having to deal with the friction of simply getting into the office is huge for some employees who are less stressed not having to commute. They don’t encounter traffic jams. Working from home occasionally makes them able to handle things in their life better.

We know happier employees can contribute more, as they become loyal and engaged to the company.

4. Company can save money on real estate and utilities

Of course, fewer people in the office means you need a smaller one. When a company moves to more of a remote or flexible scenario, they tend to put things more in the cloud. It has some nice implications from an environmental standpoint. For example, remote employees are not using environmental resources in your office. They also will not be contributing to the pollution that comes from commuting.

Also, there are benefits from reducing utilities and costs like paper, recycling, trash, which are small, nominal costs in a lot of ways, but certainly add up.

5. Enable hiring from a wider talent pool

Not only can you access people with better skills and experience, you may be able to pay them less, particularly if you are in an area with a high cost of living.

See also: Recruiting remote employees? Tips on how to manage them

Source: Inc