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 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.