Three years ago, Sabrina Deja left her job as a microbiologist in a lab in Indiana for a position at a Maryland-based biotech company — no relocation required. As a field applications specialist, Deja travels three to six days almost every week, working from wherever she is. When she’s not traveling, she works comfortably from home.
“I look forward to working from home or taking off on that next flight,” she says. “I don’t have to worry about being tired, because I can start my day a little bit later if I need to.”
Deja is part of a growing trend toward a more flexible, mobile workstyle that’s spreading beyond freelancers and business travelers. Lighter, more versatile devices and advances in connectivity and security mean more employees across industries are breaking free from their desks, leading the way toward a more mobile future for everyone. Deloitte analysts estimate that within the next decade, the majority of employees will be untethered from their office desks, working from anywhere at any time.
“Remote work is definitely more than a trend,” says Alexandra Levit, a workplace consultant and author of Humanity Works: Merging Technologies and People for the Workforce of the Future. “It’s now a way of life.”