Remote workers are people who work from home, or to be more accurate, don’t work from any specific location. They’re mobile, or remote, and can work from any location they happen to be in, whether that’s down the street from a client or across the globe.

To answer the original question posed by this article, yes remote work is becoming increasingly more popular by the year.  According to a 2017 Gallup study, 43% of Americans report spending at least some time working remotely. This is a 4% increase since 2012, so the answer is clearly yes, and it doesn’t show signs of stopping.

You might be wondering why this sudden change in work culture is coming about. We have many theories, since we love remote working, and encourage its growth. Here are a few reasons why there seems to be an uptick in remote work.

Flexibility

The workers of today are starting to ask for what they need more boldly, and what they need is flexibility. People are starting to ask for the freedom to travel and work at the same time, and parents are stipulating that they work from home certain days in order to care for their children. Remote work allows workers the option to plan their work hours in accordance with their lifestyle – not the other way around.

However, this flexibility doesn’t just benefit the employee, it’s good for the employer as well. Remote work saves companies money on in-house facilities and internet costs. It’s also great for the longevity of the staff. People who work remotely tend to be more happy with their work situation, which causes them to stick around longer.

More Productive Workers

Contrary to what you might think, people who work remotely tend to be more productive. There are aspects of working from an office that cause added stress to workers’ days that might make being productive at work a little tougher. Commuting for example, can add extra stress to people’s days. so working from home can eradicate this feeling. Not everyone is “good at” working from home at first, but once you figure out the aspects that make it work for you, such as earlier working hours or a coworking space, it becomes so much easier to stay productive.

In an experiment by Nicholas Bloom, remote workers worked 9.5 % longer and were 13% more productive. As you can probably guess, more productive employees turn higher profits for their companies.

Hiring Around The Globe

Another reason remote work is becoming more popular is because it enables people to find the best and most qualified employees, even if they don’t live in the same area. Remote work allows people from around the globe to work together in a much more efficient way.

This also allows for a younger workforce to enter into industries and positions they wouldn’t normally. New graduates with tons of talent may not have enough funds to move to the right city for their industry just yet, but remote work allows them to gain experience in the meantime.