The boom in remote work of 2020 happened out of necessity. Still, this new way of working isn’t likely to disappear any time soon. Experts estimate that 25-30% of the workforce will continue working from home at least a few days a week even after the pandemic ends and it’s safe to return to offices. Is this new way of working the right fit for you or your business? We think so, but we’ll let the data do the talking.

Remote jobs are on the rise

The availability of remote working positions has increased by 67% in the last year for full-time roles. While this number is largely due to the pandemic, companies have realised that remote work actually works and employees are enjoying their newfound freedom.

Remote workers enjoy their freedom. Big surprise, right?

Over 43% of employees say that they take a lunch break or walk between meetings on some days. When employees were surveyed, a whopping 64% said they were happier since they started working remotely, with 40% reporting a better work/life balance.

Remote workers are happier and healthier.

Two-thirds of managers believe workers are showing an improvement in morale since the switch to distributed teams. When respondents were asked about the time saved by not commuting, nearly 55% of employee respondents say they are using this time to get more sleep. That means employees are more refreshed, alert and productive even when they’re working the same number of hours.

A graph showing that almost 55% of employees are spending more time sleeping by not commuting

Remote workers are more productive.

It makes sense. Workers are happier if they can work in their perfect home office, sit on their comfiest sofa or listen to music. And happier workers mean better workers. Multiple studies showed a 13%-35% increase in worker productivity when they moved to working remotely. Workers enjoy fewer distractions, and when they don’t have a commute or other time-wasting necessities of reporting to an office, they can spend more time working.

Remote workers stick around.

If you are an employer thinking about forcing everyone to come into the office, take note: 60% of employees see the option to work remotely as highly desirable and a deciding factor in accepting a position. Also, remote work policies help with employee retention, especially among women who are often required to juggle many competing demands between work and family.

A graph showing that 60% of employees want to work remotely where possible

Remote workers save you money.

About a third of employees rated the ability to work from home as more valuable than paid holiday time, salary, company car or private healthcare. You can dramatically reduce overheads when you don’t have to maintain an expensive office and all of the other little on-site perks necessary to recruit and retain talent.

A signed document sitting on someone's work-from-home desk

Ready to join the remote work movement? Now that you know the facts and have context as to why remote work is so compelling, there’s nothing to stop you from taking the next step. Having the tools you need in place will make the switch even easier. Set yourself up for success with Dropbox. We offer a full suite of tools, services and app-friendly integrations, starting with free plans for individuals all the way up to enterprise plans for Fortune 500 companies. Dropbox helps you do your best work, wherever you work best.

The statistics and quotes featured in this article are compiled from several years of research conducted by Dropbox, Totaljobs, Remoters, Appcast and Brandata. Learn more about the methodology and sources here.