The professional world has undergone an immense transformation over the past decade. Statistics from the end of 2016 suggest that one in three Australian workers is regularly completing professional tasks from the comfort of their home. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the percentage of people who work from home has gone up from 20 to 30 percent of the workforce in a matter of 15 years.

Telecommuting is also becoming a more and more prominent trend. With new technologies and digital communication methods on the table, professionals are finding it easier than ever to ditch the standard nine to five routine.

Working remotely, doing field research and being “out there” all seem to be quite attractive for professionals who want more flexibility than the one currently being offered at their workplace. If you’re a person in need of some change, you’re probably wondering whether a remote job is the right option for you. Here are a few of the reasons why such a professional arrangement makes a lot of sense in 2017 (and the years beyond).

Flexibility

Both remote and field work provide tons of flexibility. This is one of the main reasons why so many individuals look for such professional opportunities.

Whether you’re a researcher, an insurance adjuster, a field worker or a telecommuter, you will get a lot of freedom when it comes to your work hours and the place from which you complete professional tasks. Remote experts aren’t bound to the workplace. In fact, it’s possible to work with clients or to be employed by an entity in another time zone, as long as the right arrangement is discussed in advance.

You have Access to All Necessary Tools

The prominence of remote work has grown a lot over the past years because of technological advancements. Digital technology and innovative solutions make it possible for field workers to do an excellent job and keep in touch with team members at the same time.

Let’s look at the example of researchers doing field work. These professionals may be in need of dictation services, transcription and constant access to their notes/research documents. Today, such professionals have remote 24/7 access to everything that they need for the purpose of doing their job.

Remote 24/7 access is enabled via cloud-based platforms, online storage solutions and digital service providers. The world is more global and interconnected than ever before. The prominence of internet connectivity is actually one of the factors that have made it possible for remote workers to enjoy more freedom, flexibility and professional effectiveness than ever before.

A Higher Level of Productivity

It has been proven that a more flexible work arrangement could deliver important productivity benefits. In fact, the nine to five model happens to be quite faulty. Many people who spend a big number of hours at the office are far from productive. Time theft is also a common phenomenon.

Various studies suggest that a business model featuring telecommuting and remote work happens to boost productivity.

Stanford University Researchers worked with 16,000 call centre employees. They found out that remote work increased the productivity of these professionals by 13 percent because they were dedicating more time to their job and they were also carrying out a bigger number of calls per minute.

A Best Buy experiment has produced even more spectacular results. After the introduction of a flexible work programme, the company saw an increase in productivity of 35 percent.

The Society for Human Resource Management published a report suggests that telecommuters are more productive than people who spend most of their time at the office. This claim also holds true for periods of sickness. As a part of the survey, 353 workers were questioned. Of these people, 77 percent reported being more productive whenever working offsite and 30 percent said that they needed a smaller amount of time to accomplish more than when working at an office.

Lower Levels of Stress

If the benefits mentioned already weren’t sufficient, it’s also interesting to point out that remote professionals tend to be much more relaxed and less prone to suffering from chronic stress than their colleagues who spend most time at an office.

Field work produces a level of satisfaction and it also comes with a lot of freedom. Gone are the interactions with troublesome colleagues. Gone is the pressure. In fact, the benefit is quite prominent – 82 percent of telecommuters report lower levels of stress than the people who stick to a regular work schedule consisting mostly of office time.

A less stressful job boosts worker morale, it reduces the risk of incessant turnovers and it results in a higher level of satisfaction.

It’s No Longer Necessary to go to the Office

In the past, offices used to give professionals the secure and reliable tools that they needed in order to get their job done. This is no longer the case.

With remote 24/7 access, remote professionals will simply need internet connectivity in order to access all of the essentials for the execution of their tasks. Business resources have undergone a massive transformation and the same applies to the provision of B2B services. Most of these don’t require the physical presence of a person in order to be employed.

Flexible work arrangements are the future in many fields including insurance, research, investigation, copywriting, design and even nursing. The selection of the right tools and well-defined terms of telecommuting will be essential to get everybody on the same page. Once these preliminary arrangements are completed, all of the benefits of remote work can be enjoyed by both employee and employer.