The number of people working from home is increasing every single year. In a recent study, the New York Times reported that 43 percent of employed Americans said they had spent “at least some time working remotely.” As a business owner, you should sit up and take notice.

Remote work is everywhere.

As technology makes communication easier and cost-effective, there is no need for your employees to sit in an office across the hall from you. Some of the largest corporations are increasingly turning to remote workers. About 68 percent of workers today say they expect they’ll be doing more remote work in the near future.

You need to hire remote workers.

If you haven’t done so already, right now would be a good time for you to start hiring remote workers. Here’s why.

1. You save on real estate.

The price for real estate is on the rise. If you’re not already paying a ton for your office space right now, then you will pretty soon. Instead of looking into buying or renting a new building for your offices, you should be looking into hiring remote workers. You don’t need to pay exorbitant prices for office space when your employees can sit and work from their own living rooms.

2. You can cut overhead costs.

Employees are expensive. You need accountants, HR officers, janitors and more to keep an office of employees afloat. When your employees work from home, you can rely on them to have the tools they need to get their work done – like a laptop or internet access. Most employees would be happy to work for you without you providing anything other than fair pay.

3. You’ll increase productivity.

Employees who work from home – or wherever they can get a stable internet connection – are actually more productive than the ones you have cooped up in your offices. They can avoid common office occurrences that tend to result in an unfruitful work day, including:

• People dropping by your desk for a chat
• Emails and telephone calls interrupting your thought process
• Meetings being called that may or may not need your input
• Water cooler chat and gossip that only serves to kill time while creating a toxic work environment

Sometimes, the typical office environment can actually be really, really counterproductive.

4. Your workers save time, money, and energy.

Asking your workers to commute from all over the city consumes a lot of their time, money and energy. Workers who just have to get to their living rooms or personal offices to login to work will be, for the most part, relaxed, rested and happy employees. The hassle of driving to and from work, paying for meals and being expected to work non-stop for 8 hours wears people down.

Although it might raise a moral conundrum, you will also be able to negotiate a lower salary for your remote workers. Many jobs are contracted out and not salaried, or those who are salaried can work for less. Plus, you cut major costs in medical expenses.

5. You can hire the best – from anywhere.

With a global workforce at your beck and call, you will be able to hire the best talent the global market has to offer. Your hiring pool isn’t limited to just those willing to relocate. You’ll be able to hire an unlimited source of highly qualified professionals from a global community.

6. The technology is already in place.

If you’re afraid the remote work environment won’t be as productive as working with your employees face-to-face, don’t be! There are at least three major software products for every working process you can come up with. You can hold conferences, follow up on tasks, monitor working hours and keep an eye on productivity using a myriad of effective solutions.

Remote work is the future.

Most major companies have hired remote workers in one form or another. These people are happy workers who will give you more than you have bargained for and will rarely quit on you because of job dissatisfaction. If you haven’t done so, now’s the time for you to embrace the future and prosper.