Remote work: it's practically a slogan for the COVID-19 era.
And the conversation surrounding remote work has been mixed in the ongoing months. On one hand, the rapid transition posed some serious cybersecurity challenges as companies scrambled to adapt and secure their networks and many endpoints.
[RELATED: Web conference panel, Vulnerabilities in Remote Workforces]
On the other hand, employees are loving it.
61% of technologists want to work remotely, report says
It's something we knew before this year, but coronavirus brought it to the surface.
Remote work is highly popular with employees. Josh Higgins, Senior Director of Policy and Communications at the Internet Security Alliance (ISA) explains the general perception of telework via SecureWorld:
"Most employees are seeing positive outcomes from teleworking, including increased efficiency and lower risk of burnout. Further, it revealed that 85 percent of respondents agree that teleworking is here to stay—even beyond the pandemic."
And a new report from Dice reveals a similar sentiment among technologists.
In "The State of Remote Work," Dice surveys technologists regarding their feelings about working from home. The data reflects pre-COVID-19 perspectives, but nonetheless offers some unique insights.
According to the statistics, 61% of technology workers would prefer to work remotely at least half the time. But that's not all:
"The data showed that 7% of respondents said they would even take a 5% salary cut to work remotely. Moving forward, it's likely that technologist demand for remote and flex work will be even greater."
Why do employees want to work remotely?
While the data demonstrating the preference for remote work is well documented, Dice takes things a step further: why do these technologists want to work remotely?
It breaks the question into two parts: professional and personal.
Here's how the stats break down in terms of professional benefits:
• 61% say it's easier to work at home
• 59% say it's a more relaxed approach
• 53% are more productive
• 49% avoid office politics
• 43% have devoted more time to work
• 40% have more time for in-depth thinking
• 34% have more time for creative thinking
• 30% have more time for backlog projects
• 25% have more time for email and chat
Only 9% claimed no professional benefits.
How about personal advantages? There are a few of those, too:
• 80% have saved money on their commute
• 67% have an easier commute
• 67% are enjoying more comfortable attire
• 54% have more control over their environment
• 52% have more schedule control
• 48% are enjoying the environmental benefits
• 48% have more time for family
• 47% have a healthier work-life balance
• 44% are saving money on food
• 43% have more time for relaxation
• 24% have more time for hobbies
How to adjust your company for remote work
With employees touting benefits like those, many companies are considering moving toward an entirely remote workforce.
Take Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who recently said that his company's employees can continue to work remotely "forever" if they want, even as coronavirus concerns ease.
Switching to remote for the long haul is a complicated task. But SecureWorld is here to help.
Check out one of our panel discussions on remote work:
How the New Remote Workforce Changes Data Security
Vulnerabilities in Remote Workforces
Cloud Security in a World of Remote Workers
Cloud, Remote Workers, and the New Office
Remote Work: Protecting Against Cyber and Privacy Legal Pitfalls and Liabilities
