“For employers to remain desirable and able to attract the highest performers, one area that can give companies a true competitive advantage is supporting those who want to either be a fully-fledged digital nomad or desire a short stint abroad.”
ALIZA SWEIRY UK MANAGING DIRECTOR, AQUENT
So says the 2022 Future of Work report from recruitment firm Aquent, which quizzed 3,500 marketing, creative, and design professionals to explore what employees want from the workplace now and in the future.
While many companies have moved to remote or hybrid work environments since 2020, Aquent's survey found an increase in the demand for a certain kind of remote work: the digital nomad lifestyle.
Digital nomads work entirely remotely while travelling to various locations of their choosing, often including international travel for extended periods of time.
This lifestyle is distinct even from a more standard remote work environment due to the transient nature of the desired travel and continues to rise in popularity among workers. One striking survey finding indicates 60% of employees across all levels and ages reported interest in digital nomad work at some point in the next one to three years.
The survey reveals that organisations must not only embrace the digital nomad worker, but also have effective processes, support systems, and policies in place in order to ensure they are hiring and retaining top talent.
It found remote workers' needs are evolving in surprising ways. For instance, workers ranked unlimited vacation fourth when prioritising the importance of various benefits, indicating that other perks have become more appealing.
While increasing flexibility for remote workers continues to be popular for professionals of all ages, younger professionals are most likely to have concerns about their career progression in this environment.
Aquent's survey shows 77% of 18- to 24-year-olds expressed concern that remote work will restrict their career progression. This concern decreases with age, with 61% of workers aged 25 to 40, 56% of those aged 41 to 55, and 54% of those 56 or older sharing the same concern.
This article originally appeared on Decision Marketing.
