Let’s say you are a developer or a financial advisor. You’ve heard of people in your field doing their jobs on some sunny beach while you wade through winter commutes for half of the year. Why would you not leave your desk job and join your colleagues on their beaches? One reason is that you have kids or a mortgage or just a great group of friends nearby. Another is that you are afraid that remote work means low paid work. Perhaps you are just concerned about feeling isolated and therefore unmotivated. The truth is most of these objections were relevant 20 years ago but no longer ring true today. Not all remote workers live on islands Remote work is primarily about comfort. Whether that means dispensing with a draining commute or making it easy to work the random hours at which you feel the most productive. Some people given the freedom remote from anywhere may indeed move to places that more closely suit their lifestyles. Many don’t however and find the flexibility to be critically helpful with juggling other responsibilities such as raising kids or taking care of a sick family member. When you hear remote work, what comes to mind might be sites like Upwork or Fiverr, where cheap labor can be found. If you look closer though, you will find that wages can go up to 300 $/hour on platforms like Hourly Nerds and Toptal. Financial advisors, agile consultants and top-tier developers amongst other professionals have leveraged the global database of potential clients to find a work that is most suited and best remunerated. Remote work is more than quick gigs. As companies have moved on from only using remote tools to engaging short terms consultants and are now hiring full-time personnel online. Remote work is more prevalent than ever. Not everyone can work from home but everyone can work remotely. Home can be filled with distractions. As such, many people have replaced The Office with a local coworking space. These can not only be found close to one’s home in most cities but also could be nice coffee shops or social clubs equipped for this purpose. Even though you should follow the company cultures and policies, you might escape some time wasted office politics. In the culture of collaboration, present in many coworking environments where people are not in competition with one another for promotions often leads to more access to expertise in a place where people are trading favors and time. While the saying “figure it out” is often too common in companies, flexibility can give remote workers extra tools to widen their resources. One might be too shy to ask co-workers questions that reveal vulnerabilities. No-one knows everything and asking questions isn’t always encouraged. The more collaborative environment of a coworking space might be more encouraging for questions, even embarrassing ones. Of course, you should still exchange with your co-workers, but a neutral third party is sometimes what you need to solve a problem. Get rid of all your preconception around remote work. Some companies have put an undeniable time and effort to experiment and create best practices for remote work and telecommute is becoming more common. Tools are available, companies are fighting for talents. Even at the most distributed of firms, physical contact does have its place. From team building to company retreats there are ways to make contact fun. High impact in-person opportunities have shown a lasting impression without having to sacrifice flexibility and productivity around the year.
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