In recent years, remote work has become an increasingly attractive way of doing business. This shift towards remote work, initially brought about by necessity during the pandemic, has revealed many advantages that extend far beyond convenience. However, despite these advantages, many companies have also chosen to return to on-site-only or hybrid work. No doubt that remote work can come with challenges. But it also comes with benefits beyond managerial preferences. This is why it's worth looking at it more thoroughly and understanding the holistic potential including increased profitability, productivity, diversity, and sustainability which we will look into here. At the same time, we believe it may be a case-by-case decision. We want to provide you with a solid foundation to make the decision for your business to have a partial or full adoption of remote work practices, and to benefit from its upsides. As advocates of remote work, we want to share our first-hand experiences and insights from other remote-first companies. By doing so, we hope to address any lingering doubts and misconceptions surrounding remote work, while also emphasizing its incredible potential for businesses across sectors.

1. The Positive Impact of
REMOTE
WORK
on Companies

2. Why we
created this
report:
A personal note
For me personally, remote work has
drastically changed the way I work.
But also, and maybe more importantly,
I’ve seen how it changed the way
people work in teams, and how those
teams are created.
Remote work enables freedom to
operate. We can shift the emphasis
from work as the all-consuming
priority to one of many important
facets of our lives. We can adjust the
way we work to our personal situation,
our families, our preferred place to
work, and more. This results, for me
and a lot of people around me, in an
improved work/life balance which
leads to higher satisfaction and more
focus, and ultimately - a better
performance.
But next to these personal benefits, it’s
changing the way the world works
(pun intended).
It literally opens up a world of
opportunities for many people. I
recently came across an insightful
view that diversity is, in fact, an
enabler for democracy. And this stuck
with me as it’s so true. Truly great
teams and companies have
democracy, this gives us a feeling of
common purpose and of belonging -
one of the most important human
needs. In its turn, remote work enables
diversity, promotes it in the most
natural way. This is what I’ve seen
happening and it creates the most
exceptional teams.
In this report, we delve deeper into the
benefits of remote work, offering
insights for remote-first companies to
enhance their practices further, and
providing a roadmap for change-ready
companies to initiate structural
transformations.
Roeland P
ater
Roeland Pater,
Head of Marketing at TAP
1

3. 1.0 Introduction
In recent years, remote work has become an increasingly attractive way of doing
business. This shift towards remote work, initially brought about by necessity
during the pandemic, has revealed many advantages that extend far beyond
convenience. However, despite these advantages, many companies have also
chosen to return to on-site-only or hybrid work.
No doubt that remote work can come with challenges. But it also comes with
benefits beyond managerial preferences. This is why it's worth looking at it more
thoroughly and understanding the holistic potential including increased
profitability, productivity, diversity, and sustainability which we will look into here.
At the same time, we believe it may be a case-by-case decision. We want to
provide you with a solid foundation to make the decision for your business to have
a partial or full adoption of remote work practices, and to benefit from its upsides.
As advocates of remote work, we want to share our first-hand experiences and
insights from other remote-first companies. By doing so, we hope to address any
lingering doubts and misconceptions surrounding remote work, while also
emphasizing its incredible potential for businesses across sectors.
Ebba Borg
Ebba Borg,
Researcher at TAP, and author of this report
2

4. Cost saving
One of the most evident benefits of remote work is the substantial
cost-saving it offers to businesses. With employees working from
home or other remote locations, companies can trim their overhead
expenses. They no longer need to maintain large office spaces, which
translates to savings on rent, utilities, office supplies, etc.
However, in trimming such costs, companies must also be prepared to
invest in services such as co-working spaces, and equipment for
2.0 Profitability and
productivity
3
Summary:
Profitability is a key benefit of remote work, with
research showing improvements in
cost savin
job satisfactio
flexibilit
employee retention.

5. employees to ensure a quality work environment.
The cost reduction also applies to potential hires outside of your
current geographic focus. The benefit of remote teams is the fact that
hires no longer have to be (just) local but can be found elsewhere in
the world. Hiring from overlooked communities for example would
ensure a cost reduction on salaries which a non-remote company is
never able to achieve.
2.0 Profitability and productivity
Greater job
satisfaction
Remote work also creates greater job satisfaction among employees.
“It’s about trusting that your co-workers
can do their job well and building
empathy for the fact that people have a
life outside of work.”
By entrusting employees with the flexibility to structure their workday
according to their own needs, businesses can build a stronger
relationship with their employees. This increased autonomy creates an
environment in which employees feel supported, and trusted which
increases job satisfaction.
4

6. High job satisfaction contributes to a more engaged and productive
workforce and increases employee retention ultimately impacting the
company's profitability positively.
In addition, have shown that building diverse teams has a
direct impact on job satisfaction on an individual level. People in the
team are more satisfied with their job because of the diverse
personalities, perspectives and broader creativity. Although this can
be achieved in non-remote companies too, remote companies have
the advantage of hiring people from different countries and cultures
much more easily.
studies
Flexibility stands out as one of
the most significant advantages
of remote work. No longer
confined to a fixed office
schedule, employees have the
freedom to set their working
hours.
This newfound flexibility allows
individuals to align their work
with their natural productivity
peaks, allowing employees to
optimize their work patterns.
2.0 Profitability and productivity
Flexibility
89%
of remote employees report
equal productivity at home
as in the office
with 40% finding themselves
more productive remotely.
Based on a study of remote work satisfaction conducted
by Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology in 2020.
5

7. In addition, this flexibility also contributes to
creativity. A recent report from the World Economic
Forum on the fourth industrial revolution (AI) lists
creativity as one of the most important skills in
(future) workforces. With the flexibility of creating
one's own rhythm, it gives people the space to
think more deeply, and to work creatively when it
matters; during personal natural peaks.
2.0 Profitability and productivity
Important to note:
To sustain the positive effects of remote work on
productivity and profitability businesses also need
to invest to create social bonds in a digital
environment.
Interpersonal relationships are still a huge aspect of
people’s work-life and need to be considered. Make
sure to invest in
.
a structure that enables
connections between remote workers
What can you do?
Invest in co-working spaces and equipmen
Allow a level of flexibility to create work / life
balance and optimal rhyth
Build trust amongst colleagues and leadership
tea
Ensure social bonds are upheld through online or
in-person activities
6

8. Women’s
empowerment
One of the most notable impacts of remote work is its role in
empowering women in the workforce. Despite the increased inclusion
of women in the workforce worldwide in the 20th and 21st centuries,
women caretakers often struggle to combine these responsibilities
with work.
This phenomenon is known as ‘the second shift’, which refers to the
unpaid housework, caregiving, and emotional tasks women do besides
their paid jobs. Studies show
, including both paid and unpaid work .
women often work twice as much
as men (Huang et al., 2023)
This, in combination with the decreased focus on appearance, allows
gender biases to be circumvented, creating a more equitable
workplace.
3.0 Diversity
7
Summary:
Remote work has also catalyzed increased diversity,
inclusion and impact within the workforce. This shift
has particularly affected women’s empowerment, and
disability inclusion and offered a wider geographical
net.

9. 3.0 Diversity
Disability inclusion
Remote work also provides opportunities for disability inclusion. For
individuals with disabilities, traditional office settings can pose
significant challenges, from inaccessible buildings to long commutes.
Remote work removes many of these physical barriers, making work
more accessible. But also less visible challenges, such as people
dealing with autoimmune disease or similar conditions, who benefit
greatly from flexible work, are enabled by remote working.
Virtual work environments allow employees to adapt their workspace
to their unique needs, whether it's the use of assistive technologies,
or flexible work hours to accommodate medical appointments.
8

10. Remote work also erases geographical boundaries when it comes to
talent acquisition.
“By being able to hire anyone, anywhere, we
have a larger pool of available diverse
candidates competing for our roles. This is
easier for us to achieve because we’re not
limited to one market, which would lessen
the available diverse candidates.”
Diverse backgrounds and experiences enrich problem-solving and
creativity, leading to a more innovative and dynamic work
environment. According to the McKinsey & Company (2020):
36%
more profitable
than non-multicultural ones.
multicultural workspaces are
non-multicultural teams
vs
multicultural teams
3.0 Diversity
Wider geographical
nets
9

11. 3.0 Diversity
Important to note:
All of these efforts to increase diversity are only as effective as they
are prioritized. Businesses need to make serious commitments by
making efforts to ensure that diverse voices are also heard within the
company.
What can you do?
Widen your recruitment net by promote new positions outside of your
usual region
Create an open environment within your work team and encourage
people to express themselves outside of their given role
Invest in learning about your team’s cultures
Utilize the built-in benefits of remote work, such flexibility to move
away from the 9-5 mindset
10

12. 4.0 Sustainability
A carbon footprint is a measure
of the total amount of
greenhouse gasses, primarily
carbon dioxide (CO2), and other
carbon compounds that are
emitted into the atmosphere as a
result of human activities.
Each of these actions has an
associated carbon footprint,
which contributes to climate
change by trapping heat in the
Earth's atmosphere, leading to
global warming.
Carbon footprints provide a way
to understand and quantify the
environmental impact of various
aspects of our lives.
Remote work is, according to the
Eurofound (2022), uniquely able
to target reduced emissions and
manufacturing costs. This is
achieved through three main
avenues.
emissions from
commute
ELECTRICITY
COSUMPTION
GLOBAL
INEQUALITIES
11
Summary:
Remote work also serves as a possibility to support a more
sustainable economy and decrease your carbon footprint.

13. 4.0 Sustainability
Reduced emissions from
work commute
A tangible difference that remote
work offers to decrease a
business’s carbon footprint is the
employees’ decreased commute.
Not commuting to work leads to
a decrease in emissions from
cars.
Despite this clear positive effect
it is still relevant to note that how
much a company’s emissions are
decreased depends on how long
the employee’s commute would
have otherwise been.
Remote work also encourages a
shift towards digitalization and
paperless operations.
Local economy
Remote work also provides a
unique opportunity for local
economies to grow as people can
continue to engage and support
their communities.
Thus, remote work has the
potential to go beyond just
carbon emission reduction and
towards the support of a more
sustainable economy. This is
particularly impactful when
recruiting from historically
disadvantaged communities.
“We want our team
members to stay in
their hometowns, help
their communities
flourish, and spend
their money at local
businesses.”
(Supportful)
Reduced offices
Another avenue for reducing
carbon footprint through remote
work involves decreased energy
consumption in office spaces.
With fewer employees physically
present in an office setting, there
is a potential reduction in energy
usage for heating, cooling, and
lighting.
12

14. 4.0 Sustainability
Important to note:
While remote work presents
significant opportunities to
reduce carbon footprints through
decreased commuting, lower
office energy consumption, and
support of the local economy, a
comprehensive assessment of its
overall sustainability impact
necessitates considering various
factors and adopting strategies
that mitigate potential
drawbacks
What can you do?
Reflect and consider your
own companies carbon
footprint and the potential
impact of remote work.
13

15. 5.0
The remote
formula
The following formula provides the recipe for successful remote work
operations. It takes into account the insights we previously presented
in regards to productivity, diversity, and sustainability to build a
complete framework for the most important aspects of remote work.
Structural changes involve material transitions towards remote work.
Included here is the investment into:
Enabling access to co-working spaces across location
Employee equipment for those working from hom
Stepping away from the 9-5 mindset, allowing flexibility in
working hours
structural
changes
team
attitude
remote work
success
14
Summary:
Remote work comes with benefits in regards to productivity,
profitability, diversity & sustainability. But it is also necessary to
embrace change and adapt. For this, we aim to create a
‘remote formula’
.

16. Widening recruitment net to beyond your usual regions, to create a
broader cultural lens to welcome new ideas and a new level of
creativity
Team attitude is about the immaterial aspects, such as the shift in
team attitude. Included here are:
Creating an open environment that invests in having a diverse
workforce in which everyone is heard
Investing into learning about your employees and colleagues
cultures
When applying the structural changes and creating an optimal team
attitude, potential results of could include,
based on recent studies:
remote-work success
5.0 The remote formula
+36% +16% +15%
running cost
productivity creativity satisfaction
Depending on the type of
position and location, remote
hiring has a large impact on
your team cost.
Research by McKinsey
shows that companies with
top scores for cultural- and
ethnic diversity
outperformed those in the
lowest scores by 36% in
terms of profitability.
On average, depending
on the size of the team.
For smaller teams, the
impact would be higher.
For larger (20+) teams,
the impact will be
limited.”
On average, depending
on the size of the team.
For smaller teams, the
impact would be higher.
For larger (20+) teams,
the impact will be
limited.”
15

17. 5.0 The remote formula
How we apply the
Remote Formula at
TAP
With Talent Acceleration Platform
(TAP), we identify and train high
potential talent in the Middle
East, with a focus on Palestine
and Jordan. This talent is
enrolled in upskilling programs
we provide with the support of
leading partners like Google,
Udacity and the Dutch Ministry
of Foreign Affairs.
Our programs include extensive
training on both technical- and
soft skills, personal mentoring,
and real world project
experience. Upon graduation, the
talent becomes available to the
job market and over 80% of them
are hired in the weeks after by
startups in Europe and beyond.
As a fully remote company with
teams across the world, from
South Africa to The Netherlands,
and from Palestine to Italy, we
can apply all elements from the
Remote Formula to our company
as we have been actively doing.
But our focus has been on a few
structural changes to create
diverse teams, open and safe
spaces, and opening up (and
actively learning about) new
perspectives and cultures.
This helps to spark creativity and
satisfaction across teams. We’ve
had a very low number of people
leaving the company, quite the
opposite, as the majority has
been growing through the
organization.
And as all our teams recruit in
locations including overlooked
communities such as Palestine,
this also heavily impacts our
runway.
16

18. 5.0 The remote formula
Looking at our full team of 26 people at time of writing,
compared to the scenario where we would hire this full team locally
in Amsterdam, where our company is registered.
This saving pushes our limit of growth; it enables us to invest in
specific activities that drive our growth, which then creates the need
and space for growing our team again - resulting in a ‘loop of growth’
.
we save 29% in salary cost every month
17

19. Experience the impact
of multicultural teams on
creativity, performance
and cost
To help guide you in building more
diverse teams, TAP offers a unique way
to experience overlooked talent that will
have a clear impact on your startup.
Read more & schedule an
intro meeting here >
All graduated talent from our
programs
Software Development
Business Development
and Sales
Digital Marketing
is available to (remotely) trial
for free for three months.