Citrix Online Research Report Sample

For a growing number of American workers, the traditional office is becoming more of a touchpad than a daily destination. More workers than ever are performing at least part of their jobs from virtually anywhere, at any hour of the day, thanks to technology that allows them to “take the office wherever they go.” The telecommuters of the 1980s and 90s – aptly named for their reliance on telephones to maintain contact with the office – have given way to a new kind of remote worker: Web commuters.

Web commuters, defined as the segment of workers who have the ability to work remotely at least a few hours a week and who rely on Web-based technology to do at least part of their jobs, currently comprise 23 percent of the American workforce. Long gone is the reliance on a landline to work productively away from the office. This new breed of remote worker has a diverse toolkit, comprised primarily of Web-based tools that go well beyond just maintaining contact with headquarters; today’s remote-access tools enable remote workers to attack workloads, burn the midnight oil when necessary and become super-productive work-anywhere employees who seek tangible work/life balance, high productivity levels and a brand-new kind of work rhythm.

Twenty-five percent of survey participants reported “traveling for work to a meeting or location… that is more than one hour away” at least a few days each month and another 28 percent do so at least once a year. And while some workers may not refer to themselves as “Web commuters,” their behaviors are aligned with the definition of a Web commuter. What’s more, 3 out of 10 workers who participated in the survey revealed that they currently have the opportunity to work remotely – either from home or some other non-office location – at least a few hours a week. And among workers who currently are not able to work remotely, more than 60 percent wish they could.