Yesterday my Tweetup buddy, @jtdesigns linked to the Mashable article “The Rise of the Mobile Workforce,” with the enthusiastic status “The new 9-to-5! Live it baby!”
I couldn’t help but smile when I read his status message and the article. As a member of the mobile workforce, I am very fortunate to avoid daily traffic jams and work from the comfort of my home office. I never envisioned I’d work from home – really, years ago, who did?
Thanks to the proliferation of Wi-Fi connections and other leaps and bounds in technology, working remotely is almost as common as commuting. According to a Cisco study on the international workplace, “the mobile workforce is now business-as-usual for enterprises around the world.”
The truth is I don’t even need the home office to be productive. I can take conference calls, brainstorm, draft pitches, etc., from my couch. Or a hotel. Or my cramped seat in coach. I’m connected to my coworkers via phone, email and IM. I’ve written and distributed press releases at 30,000 feet and taken a client’s call when I was on a cruise ship docked in Barcelona. Thanks to technology and an understanding employer, I am accessible and able to work regardless of my location.
But, when I do work from the office, which happens a few times each month, I feel energized. As much as I am an advocate for working remotely, I believe working from the office helps keep a sense of camaraderie with my colleagues. It’s great to see their expressions during a discussion and most importantly, it keeps me connected at a level I wouldn’t otherwise experience.
Where do you work?
Hi Jennifer,
My virtual office experience began with AT&T in the 90s. At first, I worked from home once a week, but eventually went into the office only one or twice a month for meetings. The technology, of course, was nothing like what is available today, but somehow it worked.
I no longer work for AT&T, but I do work almost exclusively from my home office. When I do commute, I sense the energy you speak of in the office, but I find that I also feel less productive. My office at the office has become an unfamiliar place. Also, colleagues take the opportunity of my trips to the office to visit with me. It’s nice that they do that, but it does take a bite out of the day.
Ray