Contemplating the mobile worker
Up here in Minnesota, we quite often get some good winter storms. Because of these, travel can become quite difficult. Not just because of the snow & slush that accumulates on the roadways, but because of the population growth of the Twin Cities as well.
I’ve long driven in from the fringe suburbs, or more rural areas to work in the "cities" (as we call the combination of Minneapolis & St. Paul). This is the first year that I’ve gotten truly frustrated with the traffic experience tough. So lately I’ve been working from home, or even more enjoyable, from conveniently located coffee shops in many locations.
The ability to work from these remote locations constantly amazes me - even though I work in technology, specifically in regards to making these options available to the general worker. The flexibility afforded the worker that has no real ties to a physical location is what makes it a powerful tool for them when the occasion warrants.
The real "trick" for remote access solutions to work for a business is for the business to really believe that their people can work outside the office. This can be very hard for many businesses with a "traditional" point of view on working. Many believe that if they can see their people at their desks "working" then that person is probably wasting time, or otherwise being unproductive.
While this can be true, its the flexibility and freedom that helps motivate and empower the individual worker that makes working remotely a benefit to an organization rather than a risk. When managers and supervisors believe in their team members, and allow them to structure their own day according to their natural work rhythms real productivity will become quite obvious.
So here I sit at a global coffee chain writing about working remotely - using the tools and technology that makes it possible. Once again, just amazed, and enjoying it.
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Comments
Comment by Tim Wilson I made the switch to remote working in August. I went from working at a $600 million company where I never could have worked remotely full-time (never say never — the company was a phenomenal place to work — http://www.ni.com — and I would periodically work remotely at a coffee shop to get some “white space,” but wasn’t going to practical for me to relocate to another state and stay in the same role) to working from a home office for another great company (http://www.bulldogsolutions.com). I spent the summer on-site, which was important, I think, to really establish strong relationships with my co-workers (and I have struggled with this as new people have since joined the company). I now have a headset that gets heavy use, along with IM and some webcam usage (although surprisingly little on that front). And, I travel back to the mother ship ~once/month for a week.
I’ve been very pleasantly surprised at how well it’s working out. And, how some things *don’t* change — I still relish days that are light on meetings, as those days seem to be few and far between!
Comment by Rick Mahn Connie, you truly have the best of both worlds (I think). My wife and I have been plotting and planning how to get away from the city and still be able to do what we love working at. In the meantime, it’s one of those necessary evils in life. Soon though… 
Tim, congratulations on having the chance to make the change. It really opens up a person’s ability to get more done, and reduce stress at the same time. At least that’s what I’ve seen whenever I can step out of the office and work at my pace - which can be a bit more fast-pasted than in the office.
Meetings where you have to call into a conference bridge are probably the hardest part of working remotely I think. It’s hard to grasp the nuances going on in the meeting room itself, and you loose the facial expressions and body language that can help a person better understand the mood of the participants.
Rick,
).
I’ve never driven in the metro (ridden with people of course), but it’s not the same. My previous 30 mile commute was on a 4 lane where I had the road to myself, but I still don’t miss it.
I enjoy working from home. I get plenty done (in fact I had to cut back). And my work is respected (whether I do it at the offices or from home).
One thing that I don’t care for are the conference calls. But it’s necessary to connect. And when I travel to the home offices my routine is disrupted. (The travel takes 12 hrs because of my remote location - but that’s life
It’s a good life though! and a new way of working.