How Remote Work Gave Me a Global Workplace

Most of my newsletter will not be about my personal life, but since it’s fairly new, I did want to include some personal experience as to why I started it.?

About six years ago, I thought I was about to lose my job.?

My company was going through a large acquisition and I knew things were about to change. In preparation, I gave notice to my landlord in NYC, thinking I’d have to return to Silicon Valley, in order to stay in Tech Recruitment.?

When I received my written offer to stay onboard, I was ecstatic, but soon realized I didn’t know where I wanted to live. I was in my 30s and my sons were living with their dad for their last year of high school, which meant that for the first time in my adult life, I was free to make decisions based on my dreams, since I was only 19 when I married an active duty Army soldier.?

One of these dreams, was to travel extensively abroad.?

I’d been blessed to be able to get some global travel in at my previous company, but I wanted to try out the new “digital nomad” trend, which was just starting to take off.?

Living in NYC was great, but I had been spending all my money on rent, and therefore not able to really enjoy the experience as I’d hoped. I gave away all my possessions and started packing.?

After a lot of research on infrastructure and accessibility, I soon chose Bali, Indonesia as my first new “home” and I stayed at a co-living/co-working place. It was a soft landing, as the staff helped me adjust to the culture shift and made sure I had everything I needed to be able to perform the needs of my job.?

That first four months was crazy. I was on boarding at a large corporation and had high metrics to maintain. But I was determined to not fail.?

Fast-forward to now, and there’s a lot of insights that I can share about my experiences abroad.?

?Always be accessible and responsive for the needs of your job.?

The fact that I was working US hours no matter where I was living was a blessing for someone who suffers from chronic insomnia, as I found living in different time zones enabled me to get the sleep I needed without worrying about waking up on time.?

?Have backups for all electronics.?

If your US laptop cord breaks and you’re in Singapore, your options are limited. My backpack probably looked rigged as an explosive, going through airport security, but I had spares for everything.?

?Monday through Friday is the same routine, no matter where I was.?

I worked as an employee, rather than a lot of my freelancing digital nomad colleagues, who could work whenever they pleased. In order to stay disciplined, I kept most of the fun stuff for the weekends only, so that work was my #1 priority.?

?Make the time difference work for you.?

Daytime in Asia, is night time in the US. I was able to get all my admin work done during these hours, totally uninterrupted by phone calls, pings and emails, making me super productive.?

?Network with the people you meet.?

I was able to meet people in different industries from all over the world, who helped me gain insight on how business works in their countries. I learned about blockchain technology and its use cases. I was able to attend lectures and workshops.?

?Share the experience with loved ones.?

After my sons graduation, he was able to join me while starting online college classes for an entire year, and we even brought my mother along so she could experience Europe, which was a lifelong dream.?

Did I encounter any hiccups along the way??

Almost every new place, there was something that didn’t go as planned, or I wasn’t always comfortable. But it strengthened my resilience and adaptability, and I was able to problem solved in a new way.?

I don’t recommend remote work for everyone, nor the “digital nomad” lifestyle.

Lately, it’s been overrun with influencers who project an image of working on the beach. Don’t believe the instagram. In all honesty, I worked harder and was more productive than I’ve ever been able to accomplish previously, because of the flexibility I had to work independently.?

But the trade off was remarkable, as my weekends were mine to explore strange new places and participate in new cultural experiences, widening my perspective as a global citizen, rather than binge watching the latest new show at home. I was able to meet new people, some of whom have become a second family to me.?

It also improved my accountability and allowed me to thrive in my work, as I wasn’t burned out. I was stimulated and far more participatory in projects with my team, and my time management skills improved, because I was enabled to work smarter and gain new insights from other people in the tech industry.?

While I don’t know that I’ll always be able to work remotely, I do hope that I’ll be able to periodically return abroad for periods of time. I’ve slowed down in my travels in order to come back to the US and make an impact here, with the cultural experiences I’ve had.?

My health was dramatically impacted in a positive way, and my general outlook was broadened in a way that no other experience has ever given me. My coworkers were a mix of company colleagues, other expat Americans and entrepreneurs who inspired me to grow.?

The “company watercooler” idea was changed from a culture of office politics, unhealthy competition and gossip, to new ideas and innovative solutions that I could implement to make myself a better, happier, and more well-rounded contribution to my company, without the need to always be plugged in to a virtual world. I also deeply valued my company, which lead to increased loyalty and less turnover.?

It also gave me breathing room to be anticipatory of the next days events, because I was able to split my work hours into solid production time, and fielding needs. I could actually strategize ahead of the game, rather than just be reactive.?

It was fresh and exciting, and I hope there are more travels to come, with supportive leadership seeing the value that flexible work gives their teams, even if it’s limited.?

It’s disheartening to see so many companies discarding flexible work options, but I understand that many were thrust into working from home during the pandemic without any strategy in how to manage a remote workforce.?

There will always be self-serving reasons to not be open to new things. It’s scary. It can feel like a lack of control to a new or insecure leader. And of course, real estate-tied motivations.?

To me, it’s about enablement.?

What works best for each individual? How do we switch to productivity-based work? Who needs face time? How can we increase our DEIB efforts to be more inclusive, using flexible work methods? How do employers embrace trust, analytics and enablement??

These are all great questions and coming soon, I’ll post some answers and strategies. Until then, happy Wednesday!