The Perks of Being a Digital Nomad

by Matt McCann

 

“ 75% of employees who work from home earn over $65,000 per year, putting them in the upper 8th percentile of all employees, home or office-based.”

The term ‘Digital Nomad’ was born in the late 1990’s as an academic term but began to be truly personified in the early 2000’s when increases in portable technology and a growing demand for flexible working life merged; forming this new working style.

Whether you are an innovative entrepreneur with an online business model, a remote worker whose main weapon is their laptop and a Wi-Fi router or a freelancer wishing to escape the office politics and water-cooler gossip, you may have already discovered the benefits of life as a remote worker. In reality, anyone can be a digital nomad. Over the past decade, a rising number of young professionals, primarily from the United States and Europe, have leveraged the use of technology to work remotely and live a nomadic lifestyle. 

A forecast of employment trends by the World Economic Forum called flexible work, including virtual teams, “one of the biggest drivers of transformation” in the workplace, while a Gallup poll found that 37% of respondents have already worked virtually. [1]

So who are these Digital Nomads?

68% of Millennials said they were interested in working for a company that offered opportunities to work remotely and sought employers “that cultivate a flexible, fun, and casual work environment.” [2]  

 With 52% saying that “work-life balance was a significant factor in their search for post-graduation work[3]” – often placing higher on the list of priorities than salary or a company’s status, it is not naïve to presume that the youngest working generation are capitalising on this new job market.

Although, in reality a typical remote worker is:

•   University educated
• 45+ years old 
• Earns an annual salary of $58,000
• Works for a company with more than 100 employees.

This statistic quashes the often-perceived stereotype and highlights the diversity of work that can be translated into a home-office environment. 

Now for a review of the facts:

• 86% of telecommuters say they are more productive in their home office. (Telework Research Network (2012), 
• 82% of telecommuters reported lower stress levels 
• 30% said that telecommuting allowed them to accomplish more in less time,
• 24% of those surveyed said they were able to accomplish more in about the same amount of time.87% of remote workers feel more connected through the use of video conferencing.
• Companies with a telework program report 63% fewer unscheduled absences. (Telework Research Network (2012), 

So if you are struggling to find equilibrium and that ideal work/life balance, want to improve your health, productivity and job satistafaction why not join the 2.2million people in the UK who have transformed their working life for the better.