If you were to offer someone the chance to change one thing about their job is, many would say they’d like to get rid of the daily commute. On average, UK workers spend around 55 minutes getting to and from work, with millions spending two or more hours. However, there’s a new generation of millennials who might not need to ever experience this. “Remote workers” are changing the business landscape as we know it and ditching the daily commute is just the start.
What Are Remote Workers?
When most people hear the term “remote worker,” they tend to think of an individual who works from their home office, or perhaps someone who’s a part of a sales team that travels from client to client on the road. The reality of the situation is that the definition is now much larger than this. According to the Office of National Statistics the number of people working remotely is at its highest point since records began.
As outlined by this article by LEO, thanks to the advent of new technologies, like smartphones and the cloud, around 4.2 million people – 13.9% of the total UK workforce – are now able to operate remotely. Since 2008, the total number has grown by 1.3 million and, with a generation of kids growing up using this kind of technology, this trend shows no signs of slowing down. 60% of UK employees could be working remotely by 2022.
The Advantages of Working Remotely
Since these people are no longer restricted to an office environment, they have the potential to take advantage of some of the numerous benefits of working remotely. In a recent survey, over half of the people questioned said that they would take a pay cut to work from home. Some were willing to take as much as 25% less as they believed the savings from not having to commute would help to compensate this.
Not only can this save both the worker and the business owner a significant amount of cash, it can also help companies to attract the best talent. The internet has made the world a much smaller place than it use to be, and it’s important that you recognise that you’re now competing on a global level for the best staff. Managing teams in separate parts of the globe also allows you to take advantage of different time zones to improve efficiency.