A new study shows those who are able to take advantage of a remote work environment are happier and more productive, and it’s leading to far less turnover. Owl Labs’ most recent study, "The Global State of Remote Work," bluntly states that logging in from outside the office "is the way of the future.” It recognized several unique industries, with "technology and marketing" representing eight percent of the total North American remote workforce. However, tech pros might belong to other industries (for example, a software engineer at a multinational bank might consider themselves better suited to the "finance and insurance" category), especially since 29 percent of respondents fall firmly in the "other" category. Overall, 52 percent of those saying their companies offer remote work opportunities are individual contributors, which is to say they’re simply not management. Some 25 percent are managers, while 11 percent have roles as Directors. Four percent of Vice Presidents work from home or elsewhere, while eight percent of C-suite execs enjoy remote work. A full 50 percent say they’re “happy and productive” in their job, while 29 percent are "neutral" about work. Unfortunately, remote work isn’t standard fare yet, even if it is the "future." Some 32 percent of respondents say they’re unable to work remotely, which is likely because 44 percent of companies (via this survey) don’t allow it. Surprisingly, Owl Labs’ 2017 remote work survey found 15 percent of companies disallowing remote work, and it’s unclear why there was a nearly three-fold increase. The upside is 56 percent of companies allow their staff to work remotely, and 16 percent of companies are fully remote; 68 percent of respondents can work from home, with 21 percent saying they do so “more than one day per week.” Around 18 percent work remotely full-time. In a separate study from HackerRank, 80 percent of tech pros say they want to work remotely. We’ve also highlighted how remote work can save you money, and contributes to a better work-life balance. An anonymous Dice survey of tech pros shows the ability to avoid an office is the most desired perk an employer can offer, ranking ever-so-slightly ahead of a solid health benefits package.