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After reading Caitlin McCabe’s post this past Monday on Brazen Careerist (wow, that’s a lot of links!) on remote working, I noticed that most of the commenters were strongly in favor of such a practice. And while it was pointed out that for certain jobs (manufacturing, medicine, security, etc) it might not be practical, for more idea-centered jobs where remote working is already possible, it is a good idea.
As someone who’s been remotely working for the better part of three years, I have to admit that I disagree.
While working without an office to go to every day cuts back on travel time and costs, overbearing bosses, pointless meetings, annoying co-workers and many of the other stereotypical cons of the workplace can produce a more effective, positive work environment, it might not create the best work environment. Sure, I like not having to wear pants to work every morning, but even with a dedicated workspace in my own home, it’s been difficult for me to make the cognitive leap from “this is where I eat and sleep and watch TV” to “this is where I make my bones and establish my career.”
Also, by trading in the more social office atmosphere for the more solitary one of my home, I’m left holding only myself accountable for things. I can’t blame my boss, co-workers, freelancers or underlings as easily. And I must admit that on the days when I do go into the office, I’m more productive.
I know what you’re thinking: He obviously hasn’t tried doing [activity x] yet. But I probably have. In fact, I have tried, among other things:
The work I do does not require that I go to an office. I’m not a fan of cubicle culture. I realize that the future of many careers will probably be a remote working or online freelancing community setup. And I understand that there’s more red tape and potentially productivity-killing things waiting for me. But I have always done better work surrounded by my peers and superiors than by myself. So what would be the ideal workplace for someone like me?
It would probably be a hypothetical office where workers from all different types of companies and career paths can rent out a workspace to go for the day. Although one would be going to an office, the work they would do would be independent of others’ (unless the team decides to all use one of said offices). This hypothetical office would provide enough of a cognitive disconnect for many people like me who still need the extra level of an office to remove the cognitive dissonance of working from home.
So yes, in the future, there will be a greater number of remote workers. And hopefully it won’t become as bad as Hollywood predicted. But there still needs to be a middle ground for the Luddites like me who aren’t quite ready to give up the old ways of the office.
Hey, Great post.
I have a friend who has been working remotely since we graduated college. He definitely has some con's to say about it as well - similar to what you have mentioned here.
I think a lot of the reason that we wish for remote workspaces (those of us chained to a desk) is because we are less productive when we are forced to be here, and are forced to stay here even when we have finished our work load. I for one think it is more of an issue of staying productive during certain hours of the day - and having that freedom - rather than where you are.
For example, if I was told that I could work 8-1 every day, I would be 150% productive - those are my productive hours.
Great post!!
In my opinion, it seems as if there is a very real shift happening in global career structure(s). Something, some force, is pushing back on centuries of 'cog-in-the-wheel' type workplace scenarios. Perhaps a new focus on reality, human worth and a global awareness is driving more and more of us to say the hell with middle managers that have terrorized corporate infrastructure for decades and the cubicle mentality that only serves to promote, enrich and greed-embolden the fattest capitalists in the corner offices. I could be wrong, yet I feel this shift every time I hear the new crop of grads spouting the next generation of catch-phrases and power-words like,..'personal branding' and 'SEO optimized site development for maximum real world visibility.'
Now, please don't get me wrong. I realize capitalism in a free market is one of the best social levelers ever conceived. I just wonder how long it will take for the 'free market' to tire of the seemingly countless and never-ending cavalcade of social networking vehicles clearly devised to steer ad revenue. The model has been used for years now. You know who they are. How many will sink in the boom? I have no idea...many I would guess. Yet, these start-ups all feel the product they offer is the next Facebook, MySpace or the like. Surely we all want to be successful in our endeavors and see a modest profit from the work. But, how many of us location independent content providers and contributors can the market support? At some point the 'product' will have to be solid, honest and wonderfully fresh to steer those ad dollars to the site and to our work. If you write for or contribute to these products and projects...please make every effort to be objective, open-minded and fact-based. We need so much less 'biased drama' in our work...and more Walter Cronkite-esque integrity, honesty and truthiness. Now,..where do I sign up?
Working remotely has its pros and cons. It's funny because I'm working remotely today, and I can't even tell you how many speed bumps I've hit to being productive.
I think, like anything, once you get into a routine it will all be okay. But location-independent is no silver bullet. It has its own set of complications and annoyances just like being a cubicle jockey.
To add onto Ryan's point, I think the hardest part about working from home is the collaborations and meetings part. That's really the part I feel that needs to be flushed out so that everyone can be productive and useful. As far as being task oriented, I am MUCH better at knocking off to-do's when I'm out of the office and in the zone.
I walk that line between collaborative and reclusive where it greatly benefits me to be able to have an office to come to and also the option to work outside of that office when I please.
Well, sometime's we're just beyond hope. Home, or office.
It's all about 1. Having a list that you NEED to get done, 2. Important things that add pressure (true), and 3. Enjoying what you do, and feeling that it's important enough.
At the moment I'm doing something easy that's due in 5 days.
No I'm not, I'm commenting on a blog.
Thanks for the comments everybody!
Beth - The end-of-the-day drag is one of the worst things about being in an office. Almost everyone slows down and just stares at the clock and a few hours seem to stretch on until eternity...
Scott - The prevalence of product-free sites that offer location-independent employment could lead to some bigger problems and has many implications like those that you mentioned, but I like to think that we've learned from the mistakes of the last tech bubble.
Ryan - You hit the nail on the head here; it takes time to develop the mentality and skillset to be truly productive when you're a location-independent worker.
JR - Collaboration is definitely the hardest part, and it seems like people are used to working in each other's physical presence more than holding meetings online. It becomes more of a social gathering than a work activity, which definitely knocks down everyone's productivity.
Torbjørn - You raise an excellent point. Although I might swap the order of numbers 1 and 3.
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