Work for an “office” worker has evolved to one that no longer requires an office. For many workers now, a laptop is all you need to do your job anywhere—on the bus, at a coffee shop, at home, or in bed. Some companies have started giving their employees more leeway to choose when and where they work. The traditional desk job is undergoing a giant culture shift, and employers and IT departments need to be ready for it.

In a new study—The Death of the Desk Job, put out by North American IT solutions company Softchoice—78% of the 1,700 North American full-time employees surveyed said they highly value the ability to access work outside of office. 86% value being able to choose where and which hours they work, and 70% said they’d quit their job for one that gives them more control over their workday structures.

The study also found more than half of employees work remotely at least one day per week. So what’s the benefit of being away from the office? 75% of respondents feel that it lets them fulfil more personal and social commitments while 64% of employees report being more productive outside of the office.

Another new study, published jointly by Rogers, WORKshift and Stone-Olafson, discovered that employees are more engaged when they’re able to work remotely. High-level job engagement increases by 89% if work location is flexible. And 97% of those surveyed would like the opportunity to continue working remotely, or do more of it.

To meet the workforce’s demand for more flexibility, organizations need to lay out clear guidelines for working remotely during office hours (76% of respondents said their company lacks one). Companies also need to provide the mobile devices employees need to carry out their work in order to adapt to the changing trend.

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