I was speaking with a friend the other day about my Workshifting arrangement with MindFire, when she asked me what other types of professions would "allow" or work for this type of remote working arrangement.

It caught me off guard, because I hadn't really thought of Workshifting as being exclusive to only certain professions. Of course you can't be an emergency room doctor or bus driver and work remotely, but by and large, I had been operating under the assumption that most professionals in our Information Era could work in a remote environment as long as it is supported by management. I suppose this is a bit naïve, though. Not every job that involves a desk and a computer could be translated into a remote work environment.

So I thought it would be interesting to poll Workshifting readers to determine the types of professions you are in. Are most of you programmers? Salespeople? Writers? Editors?

Please take this one-question survey (it's only one question). I will post results at the end of June.

If I'd have to guess, I'd imagine that the majority of you are in professions that are very project based.  I would imagine this is a result of the fact that it's probably easier to manage Workshifters who work on projects with a clear deliverable.

I think you could also make a case that remote working environments are particularly successful for professions where your work is measured by clear metrics, such as sales made, or hours billed. Again, the management aspects for those types of professions would make it more appealing to allow employees to workshift. I think these types of metrics also provide Workshifters with a way to justify their working arrangements and "prove" that they are working just as hard as their office counterparts.

What do you think? What are the top Workshifting professions, and why?


Photo Credit: Mafleen