Working from ‘Anywhere’
The Upside of a Virtual Office
When I was growing up, my Dad would wake up early every morning for work and come back home just when as the sun was beginning to set. My Mum woke up even earlier to prepare breakfast and only when everybody else was where they were supposed to be, would she start to do the housework that would consume her entire day. Even when my dad arrived home again, she was still at it: preparing dinner, tidying the kitchen and so on. Despite this, whenever someone asked her about her profession, my Mum would answer, “I’m not working”. So despite what eyes were telling me, from an early age I formed the impression that one has to “go to work” to be deemed to have a “proper job” and that staying at home, no matter how productive one’s day might be, would not qualify.
This rule was seemingly validated when I started to work myself. In each of my early jobs, I always had to report to work at factory, the restaurant, or the office. Whether the tasks I was assigned could be completed elsewhere or not, physical presence in the workplace was mandatory. As such, I never gave any thought to working remotely or in any way separately from my colleagues and boss. I felt a bit apprehensive, therefore, when a few months ago I was presented with a new job opportunity that, for the first time in my career, would allow me to work from anywhere I chose. While this arrangement sounded compelling initially, as the moment of decision approached, even though I knew the opportunity was too good to miss, my feelings about working so independently were decidedly mixed.
It will come as no surprise that when I began to tell people about my new professional arrangement, reactions - - both positive and negative - - clustered at the extremes. On one hand, some people were telling me how lucky I was and how they had long wished for a similar opportunity. For these commentators, the flexible location aspect of my new job spelled freedom to organize my own time, an absence of office politics, and the chance to avoid the dreaded commute common to so many. Other observers, in sharp contrast, told me that I had set myself up for disaster. One friend in particular, Nico, was thoroughly negative in his response to my decision. Having worked in similar circumstances before, he declared that “working from home” was a trap. He found that he struggled to motivate himself to address his assigned tasks, that the days slipped by before he had a chance to produce anything, and that the constant distractions of neighbors, family, social media, and the like, prevented him from contributing the way he might have had he been in a traditional office setting. “Wait and see,” Nico predicted, “You will end up not liking this job and returning to a traditional environment.”
Although I have only been working in this new paradigm for a scant few months, I am pleased to report that I can already see Nico’s prediction, at least as it applies to me, is dead wrong. Indeed, my experience of “working from anywhere” has so far been so positive and full of unexpected benefits, that I am well on my way to becoming an evangelist for this workstyle to anyone who will listen.
Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of remote working is the strong sense of control over one’s own life and schedule that it confers. In a conventional office setting, I would have to organize my personal activities - - going to the gym, for example - - early in the morning before work or in the evening afterward, and of course, so did hundreds of others. For me, this meant a daily competition for space and equipment in the gym, rendering an experience I typically love into one that was frustrating and stressful. Indeed, there were times when the facility was so jammed after my office hours that I would take one look and turn around to leave rather than spend 90 minutes waiting for an available treadmill or an unused weight bench. Rising extra early in the morning to attend the gym made things a bit easier, but did not come without a price. Once I shifted to this morning schedule, I found that I was more and more anxious about accepting invitations from friends for dinner or drinks, or to participate in nearly any evening activity, because I was so conscious of how early my alarm was going to ring to summon me to the gym! As small an example of self-determination as this may be (though I sure any readers who are regular gym-goers will empathize!), the fact that I can now go to the gym at any time of day - - subject, of course, to meeting professional deadlines and/or attending required meetings - - has had a tremendous, positive effect on the quality of my daily life.
But enhanced control over one’s schedule is only the beginning of the benefits that flexible working can provide. When I first entered the white-collar workforce, like many junior members of staff, I was required to stay in the office for pre-determined hours every day, regardless of whether I had completed my assigned work or not. By no means prove to laziness, I would often seek out more work, anything to help fill the time productively for the good of my employer and for my own well-being. For a person like me, being asked to remain in the office, despite having absolutely nothing to do, felt like a punishment. Over time, my motivation to perform well and efficiently decreased significantly, as I realized that working at pace would only consign me to long, unfilled hours in the afternoon. Had my employer given me more tasks, or provided a flexible work schedule, I might well have seen my motivation and determination to produce quality work increase. Instead, I spent many a long hour imagining the gym filling up ahead my arriving there, the train platforms swarming with fellow commuters just ahead of me, and the countless things I could have been doing if only I were not chained to a desk! In my new work environment, the number of hours the work requires can vary significantly (6 hours one day and 12 hours the next), but no time is lost in service to a time clock or the optics of being “at work”.
One of the greatest benefits to remote working, of course, is recovering the time (and eliminating the cost and stress) related to commuting. In the two hours daily that I used to spend travelling to/from work, I am now able simply to sit down and begin working! Like so many commuters, I was always determined to make the most of the “empty” time posed by the daily journey. Some days I would read the news or a book, review notes for an upcoming meeting, or unwind by listening to music. But now I am able to do all of that in the comfort of my own home with a cup of my favorite green tea in hand. The time formerly spent commuting is now 100% available for service either to the company or to my own agenda.
Working from home can also deepen ties with family. Professionals with young children, elderly parents or pets often head off to work with some degree of anxiety. Will everything be alright while I am away? How will a mishap be handled? Will my elderly mother remember to eat lunch? To take her pills? All these questions have a way of preying on the mind, interfering with concentration, and increasing stress. With flexible working, however, these issues resolve themselves. Children come home to an adult presence. Elderly parents have the comfort of a proximate loved one. Pets - - and my dog is prepared to go on record! - - are happier and more contented with someone around than when left alone all day.
With all these clear benefits, working from ‘anywhere’ seems a great opportunity. Why, then, was the experience a failure for my friend, Nico? Why do some people long for a professional paradigm like mine and others do all they can to avoid it? And though there are some famously successful home workers - - Sir Richard Branson, Founder/Chairman of Virgin Group, and Craig Newmark, Founder/CEO of Craigslist, to name just two - - the majority of professionals, including CEOs, still spend most days in the office. How does an individual determine if remote working is a good idea for him/her?
I would argue that the most obvious factor in determining whether home working is a viable option or not is the fundamental nature of the job. Some jobs - - courier, surgeon, banker, etc. - - simply cannot be performed outside a professional setting. Such professions, therefore, are unlikely candidates for the style of working described here, but luckily most jobs do not fall into this camp.
Self-discipline is an important consideration. Distractions and temptations are admittedly more numerous and alluring without the social pressure of colleagues and the environment cues of an office to subdue them. With all the time saved by home working, it is easy be lulled into feeling that time is limitless and to fall slowly into the habit of procrastination. In his book, Still Procrastinating? The No-Regrets Guide to Getting it Done, author Joseph Ferrari estimates that as much as 20% of the population are serial procrastinators (defined as anyone who habitually and consistently delays tasks). Thus, self-discipline, focus and rigor are required if a given employee is to make home working effective, as I have already discovered in my own work situation. Without these, the arrangement will fail, and quite quickly too.
Since many professionals rely, at least in part, on their work environments to provide social interaction and sometimes even a social circle, being comfortable with a lack of interaction with other, like-minded professionals is an essential quality of the successful home worker. Given that I see my colleagues less frequently than I would if we were in an office together every day, I have discovered that it is incumbent on me to communicate proactively with them electronically, by telephone, or through other means and, simultaneously, to invest in social support system outside the workplace. It also means when the work does draw me and my colleagues together in the same place, we do everything possible to ensure that the interaction is robust and meaningful, often adding a dinner or other social element to our encounters in order to make up for the lack of daily contact.
The final, key factor to consider is the style and quality of the relationship with one’s immediate boss. Even if a company’s policy allows employees to work from home, the actual success of such an arrangement requires very strong communication skills on the part of the employee and his/her boss, particularly in the area of expectation setting. Trust, openness and mutual respect must flow in both directions. Without having an employee under the same roof, a manager must judge employee performance on the basis of outputs, rather than office optics; on the basis of achievement, rather than simply hours expended. As I have not worked for my new boss in the past, in these early stages of our professional relationship, it has been incumbent on me to spend time in the same location more often than I will need to in the future. I listen carefully to the mission I am given, underscore and verify the expectations of my boss, and work to deliver on them in a timely, high-quality way. As each successful project is delivered, his trust in me grows, and my ability to work with him remotely increases.
Although a traditional in-office job seems to suit a great many professionals - - and as we have seen, is required of many others - - working from ‘anywhere’ may well be the best professional experience I have had to date. I am developing not just as a professional, but as a person. My ability to organize tasks, prioritize projects, work to deadlines, and both hear and deliver on expectations has increased by leaps and bounds. Working from anywhere may not be right for every job or for every professional, but it suits me (and yes, my dog too) just fine.
-Rongine Koh