15 Jan Is Freelancing Right For You? The State of Remote Working in 2018
In 2018, cloud computing continues to grow and businesses across the world are shifting their operations to the cloud. This shift offers several advantages, including cost efficiency, flexibility, and increased productivity and the tools to make all of this a reality. For business owners a primary concern was the overhead and technical infrastructure it takes to set up an office but this is now no longer the case. According to a recent study from Staples, this year, only 32% of employees spent all their time working in or at their office, and 43% of employees say remote work is a must-have.
Richard Heby of Liquid Space provides an interesting tidbit:
“94% of American workers want to work remotely, at least at the same rate they are now, or more. Another relevant fact – people love remote work because it provides a better work-life balance. In fact, work-life balance is the second most commonly cited positive reason for telecommuting.”
Digital nomads use telecommunication technologies to earn a living thus giving them the opportunity to life their life in a nomadic manner. These remote workers often work from foreign countries, coffee shops, public libraries, or co-working spaces and utilize cloud computing to complete their work. Facilitated by the advent of applications like Slack, Asana, and Trello teams can be connected across the world and no longer have the need to work in a share office space.
According to a study by Deloitte, millennials will constitute 50 percent of the workforce by 2020 and there has been a shift where values mean more than the bottom line. “Those likely to remain longest share their organization’s values, and are more satisfied with its
sense of purpose and support of professional development.”
In another report by American Express, 1,363 Millennials were surveyed, those born between 1980 and 1996—in the U.S., U.K., France and Germany. As for the 343 U.S. Millennials who were surveyed, they want to make a positive difference in the world (68%) and said a successful business needs to have a genuine purpose (81%) and the values of their employer should match their own (78%). More than one-third define success as doing work that has a positive impact on society.
Millennials are seeking work with meaning beyond just making money and working remotely as a digital nomad is a way to accomplish these lifestyle and work goals.
How to Find Remote Work
There are many avenues to find remote work however, one in particular stands out, called Remote Year.
Millennial entrepreneurs Greg Caplan and Sam Pessin founded Remote Year and the first program occured in 2015. Remote Year helps facilitate a community of people who want to live and work remotely as a part of a vibrant community.
“Giving your workforce the opportunity to work remotely can result in productivity that exceeds what your employees may have achieved by spending the same number of hours in an office”, says Greg Caplan.
Is Remote Working Right for Your Business
However, working remotely isn’t for everyone. And companies hiring should keep an eye out for certain workforce management traits that can ensure that an employee is best suited for the telecommuting lifestyle. These include things like prior telecommuting experience and autonomy are just a few of the skills. The right kinds of top talent can flourish when they’re permitted to work with fewer restrictions.
While there are many advantages, working remotely isn’t without its disadvantages. Many of them stem from the fact that if you are telecommuting then you aren’t getting to know your coworkers as well as you would if you were in an office. Some people also lack the discipline it takes to work remotely.
However the only way to see if it is right for you is to try it and give it enough time to see if it works for you.