It used to be that many dreamed of the idea of working from home. Now, it is much closer to being a reality. This is not only the case of freelancers and entrepreneurs but also the fact that more and more companies are hiring remote employees. In fact, many of our readers of DirJournal are in that category. That category also crosses over into companies who are somewhat of a hybrid company or do a lot of work and contracts with companies in the digital age who not only work/live remotely (or off the grid), but utilize tools that help them to live that dream, tools that include universal chat, video phone conferencing, and instant messaging. All of which are essential these days.
Do the Math
The truth is that the basic math is supporting the employment trends of today. Those trends are highlighting advantages to both employer and employee when comparing what is gained with a remote employee workforce versus the old style, brick and mortar approach. This basic math is also demonstrating that this trend is becoming more of a reality for more people every day.
Statistics clearly suggest that the number of employers looking to utilize the benefits of remote workers and the number of people who could be classified as “remote workers” is gaining momentum and gaining in numbers every year. A statistical analysis company, in a somewhat recent report, revealed some noteworthy results. According to the survey, remote workers have increased by 103 percent, and the employee population itself grew nearly 2 percent from 2013 to 2014. The math points to this conclusion, that as the population of available employees continues to increase along with the number of people working remotely, the number of remote workers will only continue to grow and work schedules will change.
The Trends
A 2015 survey from PGi showed that 79 percent of knowledge workers, worldwide, now telecommute (a.k.a. remote workers). These statistics along with the numbers from the earlier survey clearly display a trend in the direction of remote employment. It appears that it is becoming more frequent among people everywhere.
Advantages for both employee and employer. <href=”#7e306ee64382″>Forbes magazine reported that American Express saved approximately 10 to 15 million dollars just in real estate and office space, by “going remote.” And, this is just one of the countless statistics that show what considerable savings are available (or potential) for companies that hire remote workers.
Much of this should be anything but a surprise, as technology and communication advancements have become more impressive with every passing year. Basically, it was inevitable. The greatest influencing factor, however, is most likely the role and responsibilities of the position. That would be the area that tends to dictate just how “remote” remote really is.
For example, positions such as freight brokers, writers, or virtual assistants are examples of jobs that may have such flexibility. Obviously, other positions such as manufacturing or food service just aren’t ever going to be realistic options for remote work. Sites like UpWork (i.e. ODesk) are examples of just how popular some of these virtual positions are becoming.
Final Thoughts
Have you imagined it? The sound of the beach in the morning, a few hundred feet away, reclining on that beach chair with a cup of that iced tea in your hand. Outfit of the day was that sundress or those comfortable swim shorts and muscle shirt. Are you there yet? Well, for those of you who have had this dream, the time may be now to look into finding that remote position that may afford such freedoms – it’s catching on and it is just in time for you.