This week we start with a blog post from Thor Schroeder
Remote work is becoming more of a norm. It is being adopted by a wide array of industries for tons of different reasons. Some companies do it because it is cheaper, opens up their talent pool, increases productivity and opens up work hours, so they can be up and running 24/7. The part of this idea that goes less spoken about, is if it’s right for the employee? Specifically, is it right for you?
The most common industry that you’ll find remote work in, is ‘tech’. This could mean you are a dev, product or project manager, designer, salesperson, customer service rep, marketer or a ton of other roles. Generally, most remote workers will work from home, with the occasional coffee shop day, if your calendar is thin on meetings. The idea of remote work sounds great too. You wake up five minutes before you need to be ‘logged on’, you make a coffee and plop down on your desk chair, still in your pj’s, while not even bothering to brush your teeth. That doesn’t sound sexy to me, mainly because I love routine and fresh breath, but this is a pretty common approach. When I say I like routine, I don’t mean go to the office five days a week, routine, but more like a schedule, regardless of location. The point I am trying to make here is, without the structure, the forced routine, can you still enjoy work? Can you work effectively? How about performing at a high velocity.
If you are:
A self-starter: can work without micromanagement
A person that Googles your question before asking it to someone else
Someone that works best alone, without much face-to-face interaction
A person that doesn’t require co-worker/friend lunches or happy hours
Stick to deadlines without the idea of ‘clocking out’ for the day
…..Then I believe that remote work can be ideal for you.
Though:
If you have a tendency to get lonely when at home too long
Like to be surrounded by ‘office noise’
Crave group lunches and regular outings with the team
Like working with physical components while collaborating (stickies, whiteboard, flashcards, etc.)
Or are just unsure if you could perform your best
You might want to consider something in the office or at least partially remote/remote optional.
I am honestly not straying you away. I personally believe that a lot of people should be remote workers. What needs to be taken away here, is that you should truly assess it, regardless if you think it’s perfect at first glance. There are positives and negatives for sure. You just don’t want to be a few months into that dream job and suddenly realize you hate every second of it.
If you are the kind of person that doesn’t mind ‘hustling’ or working a second/third job or gig, maybe try it out on nights and weekends. It doesn’t even need to be with an actual job or ‘company’. You could try to work on some passion projects with a remote team. See how productive you are, see if you crave that in-person interaction. If you are bold, maybe even ask your current employer to work a couple of days a week remote. Who knows, maybe you’ll even shift your entire jobs work environment!
How ever you go about it or whatever decision you make, try it, or at the very least think about all the good and bad reasons for remote work. I am all about jumping in feet first, just double check if you’re not too tall for the pool.
Don’t Crush It Alone (The Podcast)
#1 A typical day in the life of a remote digital founder with Masha a.k.a The Coding Blonde. Masha is an entrepreneur and the founder of Coding Blonde, a brand that empowers women to break into tech.
Our “You get a job!” Corner
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Customer Happiness Specialist @ Theranest, apply here
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Irma.