Online employees are the future of business

For too long business has come down to location, location, location. But one day soon staff choices will no longer be limited by geography

Online employees are the future of business

Finding the right talent for your business can be difficult at the best of times. Even when in London, where you have a massive talent pool at your disposal, it can be tricky trying to find the perfect person for the job. When your business is based in the Highlands, suddenly problematic becomes impossible. Which is why it’s none too surprising that new research from oDesk, one of the world’s largest online workplaces, has revealed that almost all businesses believe that online workers will become a key part of ensuring success.

Carried out by research company Genesis Research Associates, the survey of 162 UK businesses reveals just how much faith enterprises have in the digital skills market place. Three-fifths of respondents revealed that they were planning to at least double their spend on online workers over the next year. Even more striking, an astonishing 94% of those spoken to said that agreed with the statement: “Within 10 years, the majority of businesses will have blended teams of online and on-premise workers”. Whilst the trend towards digital and mobile working has been a fairly predictable one, the strength of these results demonstrates just how much employers expect the employment market to change.

And things aren’t set to shift just for employers. As many as 93% of the companies spoken to felt that location of job candidates would become a far less significant factor; instead there would be an increasing focus on demonstrating the needed skills, something that serves a very real need amongst businesses at the moment. Three-quarters of the participants in the survey stated that in situations where they have hired online workers, it would have been too difficult to find a local, onsite worker for the required position.

Mobile working has a way to go before it becomes ubiquitous. But it’s key to helping a geographically dispersed workforces produce the best possible performance. What’s not to like about that?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Josh Russell
Josh Russell
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