Live Here, Work Anywhere!
Ah, remote work. It’s a stark departure from the traditional 9 to 5 office job, and people across the country have been embracing it in shocking numbers since the pandemic began. While remote work comes with its challenges, it also comes with significant benefits - including being able to choose where you work.
But deciding where to plant your remote work roots can be overwhelming. That’s why it’s about time that you met one of the best cities for remote work: Evansville, Indiana.
Look - we get it! It can be challenging to narrow down your choices. For remote workers, the world is your literal oyster. But over the past few decades, Evansville has diligently worked to develop the culture and offerings you might find in a big city but with a small-town price tag and a homey feel.
Recently, the city of Evansville ranked third out of 10 cities on a Wall Street Journal ranking for the best places for digital nomads. Among the many reasons that Evansville ranked so highly, high-quality internet, low cost of living, and high quality of life are some of remote workers' most highly sought-after attributes.
Situated on the banks of the Ohio River, the Evansville Region gives you the unique opportunity to live and work in a welcoming, supportive, and energized community.
Since the pandemic, our work lives have been radically transformed. During quarantine periods, employers were forced to evolve to a remote-work model to keep the economy humming. The result: a broader acceptance of virtual work and a realization that we may not need to be in the office 40 hours a week to complete all those tasks.
Most experts agree that this trend isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. In 2022 alone, nearly one-quarter of U.S. employees worked remotely. One study showed that almost 68% of Americans would rather work in a fully remote position. And employers are on board; at least 50% feel that allowing workers to work remotely reduces overall absenteeism rates.
If there’s one thing we learned from the pandemic, it’s that, for most people, a large portion of daily tasks can be completed outside of the standard office workplaces. Translation: remote work is here to stay, and it’s time to embrace the trend if you haven’t already.
While remote work offers distinct benefits over in-office work, it’s not all glitter and gold. There are many pros and cons of working remotely that you should understand before you make the leap into remote work. Here’s the breakdown of the most impactful pros and cons of working remotely.
Remote work is changing how we think about productivity and physical attendance. In addition, there is an increasing amount of evidence that remote work offers a wide variety of benefits, including:
As delightful as remote work sounds, there are some downsides to working at home alone, day in and day out. From social isolation to blurred work/life boundaries, here are some drawbacks to working from home:
For many people, remote work isn’t just a professional choice - it’s a way of life. And while the workforce pretty much seamlessly transitioned to remote work during the pandemic, many remote workers are now considering relocating even after the pandemic subsided.
If you’re thinking about relocating your home office, here are a few tips for what you should look for to find the best place to work remotely.
Regardless of why you’re moving, understanding wants vs. needs is one of the first steps to finding your new remote work home. What are your deal breakers? Where is there more flexibility? Understanding these questions can help narrow your home base selection.
Try putting things into categories. Identify must-haves and what you would be willing to compromise on. For example, maybe you’re looking for a two-bedroom home with a little bit of yard within a specific price range or monthly rent. This might be a deal-breaker for you. Alternatively, having highly-rated Indian cuisine within walking distance might be something you can compromise on.
When you aren’t working within an office space, you’ll discover that many factors affect your satisfaction and ability to get work done. So you should take a good, hard look at these preferences before committing to moving to a new place.
A few examples of factors/preferences are the availability of co-working spaces, nightlife, restaurant offerings, and more. There may be days when you just want to get out of your home office. Local co-working spaces can provide an easy solution to this situation.
One of the main benefits of working remotely is that you aren’t necessarily tied to the urban areas where the opportunities are bountiful and the cost of living is higher.
Instead, you can relocate to an area with a lower cost of living, which is precisely why this should be one of the primary factors you consider before deciding where to settle down.
Some of the most popular cities to live in often come with the highest living costs. Consider whether moving away (or to) an urban environment with a higher cost of living makes financial sense. Opting for a place with a lower cost of living can ensure that more of your hard-earned paycheck can be put towards wants - versus spending it on housing, food, and other necessities.
If you enjoy getting out and exploring in your time off, then it’s essential to dedicate a bit of time to learning about what your future home base has to offer. Try reaching out to the local visitor’s center to learn about local events, groups, and other off-duty activities (i.e., museums, etc.)
Many cities are committed to diversifying the types of activities and events they host. There’s also been a more significant trend toward revitalizing urban and green spaces to improve the residents’ quality of life. So before committing to a final location, ensure your future home offers the activities, events, and spaces you’re passionate about.
Remote work can go smoothly when you set yourself up for success. And climate and time zone are more ways a location change can impact your professional success.
Moving further north may lead to longer, colder winters and vice versa. It’s important to remember that these climate-related factors can impact your overall happiness and satisfaction.
You should also consider the time zone where most of your clients (or your on-site office) are located. While one or two time zones may not significantly impact your work life, consider how time zone differences can affect communication and coordination if you relocate to an area with a significant time zone difference.
