Thanks to technology, we are living through a fundamental transformation in the workplace and the way we work. Employers and workers alike are embracing the benefits that telecommuting offers. According to a recent article on Remote.co, “a Gallup poll found that 37 percent of American workers have worked virtually in their careers, a four-fold increase since 1995.”
And what is more, according to Australia’s online leading educator, Open Colleges, 39% of freelancers registered on UpWork “described themselves as digital nomads, with 79% of these stating that they expected to be digital nomads for the rest of their lives.”
So what is working remotely and why are so many professionals joining this trend? Working remotely means to work location independent, either full or part-time, for either one company or several clients. This approach to work is becoming increasingly popular in the tech and digital sectors, helping companies cut their overheads and allowing professionals a flexibility never imagined before.
When hired by an organization, professionals can work remotely either full-time or a few hours per week. If this sounds like something that would suit you, the following platforms are ideal to help find a job that supports remote working:
- Flexjobs is the leading job search site in the US, specializing in flexible and remote jobs. At flexjobs you can find vacancies in over 55 career categories internationally, although their primary offer is in North America.
- Working Nomads curates remote digital jobs from around the web. It is suitable for innovative companies offering independent positions and professionals who want to work remotely.
- Remote OK is part of Nomadlist, a perfect site for digital nomads looking for their next job. Over 800,000 remote workers are using this site to find jobs and companies can post projects for less than $200.
- Jobscribe is for professionals looking for remote work at a startup. You just need to subscribe, and they will send you daily, or weekly emails with their handcrafted job openings.
- PowerToFly is a platform created by Milena Berry and Katharine Zaleski in 2014 to connect big tech companies and startups with women looking for flexibility in their tech and digital careers.
On the other hand, as a freelance or contractor, it is also possible to work remotely, offering services to one or more clients. These are some of the best sites to find freelance and contractor jobs:
- Gun.io is a bootstrapped company focused on adding real value to freelancers and their clients. They claim to deliver high-caliber talent where an “average freelance professional works 20 to 30 hours per week, and earns $120,000 per year”.
- Coworks.com is easier to use and more affordable than other platforms. They ensure that companies will find the best talent to help them get things done. They also reduce the administration and sales effort for talented freelancers.
- Freelancer.com is a great platform for new freelancers to build a portfolio and for brands to get things done faster. Bidding for projects is very easy, and companies decide which professional they want to work with.
- Upwork.com is the merger of Odesk.com and Elance.com. This freelance platform works with well-known clients such as Instapage, Airbnb, Dropbox. Their offering is very large for both freelancers and companies.
Professionals and corporations around the globe are already enjoying the benefits of working remotely. Freelancers and contractors improve their work-life balance by having more flexibility, saving time and money on commuting and boosting their creativity and productivity working for different clients. For companies, the talent pool opens worldwide, they cut down on overheads, have the flexibility to hire on demand, improve productivity, spend less on training, hire faster and the list of advantages goes on and on.
