‘Remote Work is the Future!’— Just Dey Play.
Gideon Tomoloju
Building the African Business Playbook | TED Speaker | Founder, Pixxis Agency | Helping Brands Execute Campaigns That Actually Work Here
I'll address this to a very particular set of people.
If you're running a middle-belt business;
That is, if you're between 3 to 5 years old, not as small as when you started but not as big as you want to be, do EVERYTHING you can to make your office Hybrid at least. I learnt this from personal experiences.
I ran away from this reality for the longest time, and was proudly running a fully remote team for a good number of years.?
As an introvert, it felt safe not dealing with people everyday but getting some work done seemed like a goldmine, especially since everyone & mainstream media was raving about it.?
As I continued to grow as a founder, learn, and realise there's much to be done and achieved, I realised that getting “some work done” won't catapult both growth & revenue with the speed most businesses need to stay relevant.
So, I moved us from completely remote to hybrid. (I may consider fully on-site soon.)?
Why?
We realised our shortcuts and developed our playbook of the year by forcing a 3 day retreat at the office. There's something about sitting in silence, eliminating phones, and all eyes looking at the whiteboard.
2. Flow of Ideas: From observation, this is due to “MINDFULNESS” and is very underrated in how much it plays in creativity.
Ideas won't flow on virtual meetings when someone is turning eba, or driving when having important discussions.?
An underrated advantage is healthy WORK CULTURE & Teamwork
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Culture thrives where people are, and no matter how digitally inclined we get as humans, there's more “camaraderie” formed when you see your colleague at least twice a week. Nothing gets lost in translation over text.
Let's not forget the advent of remote work is hugely a western thing. They benefit from talents worldwide, so it's no wonder they'd hugely encourage it. However, let's not dwell on that.
The African Truth?
The truth is, especially in Nigeria, the cost of renting a full service apartment is expensive and can increase overhead costs.?
Here's something practical;
If you have a decent space, you could start with renting a workspace, or turn your living room into one, and start with once a week to get comfortable…
Many of your role models including Jeff Bezos & Elon Musk started out this way. And I've spoken to a lot of Founders that employ this approach. It's hugely becoming our reality, so we might conduct full research on this.?
P.s. I share more stories like this & insights on how to win the African market in my newsletter, subscribe here;?
What’s your take, Agree or Disagree? This is a safe space, tell me in the comments.
Talk soon,
GT.
Brand and Media Communications|Content strategy |Podcast host - The PAB chat|ACIPM, HRPL
1 个月For me I’ve worked fully remote , then hybrid, now I work fully on-site. I would say I prefer the idea of working hybrid because it creates the balance and closes up the lapses which will enhance productivity whilst also eliminating costs . I liked the flexibility that remote work gave me but in life generally I think balance is important!
Accountant || Literary Enthusiast: Instigating ultra deep mind searches through literary means || Data Analyst.
1 个月Gideon Tomoloju thank you for this expository piece. As an undergrad, I had acquaintances who championed the idea of remote jobs, even going as far as announcing that hybrid or fully onsite jobs are dead. Fast-forward to three months later, many of them tell me that staying at home is not as productive as being within a group of people working towards a goal. For me, hybrid is best. It's the combination of lower overhead costs and periodic human bonding that leads to great ideas. Eventually, we grow by 'seeing' others. Chigozie Ani
Content Marketer || Creative Writer || Content Writer || Digital Marketer
1 个月As an introvert, I love the idea of working from home, but to be honest, remote work tends to come with a lack of boundaries. I'm talking about having meetings after hours and not being able to speak up about it. There is also the case of unrealistic deadlines; what do you mean by a design or content has to be delivered in one hour? There are always factors like power supply at play. It also comes with dealing with the fact that people tend to have other engagements to attend to and may not be able to deliver on time. May God help us get favourable work environments.
Creative CV Writer @TheReadyWriter & Codersden94 | I help job seekers stand out in front of recruiters || Exceptional Virtual Assistant || Sales and marketing enthusiast
1 个月For me in particular, as much as I love the independence that comes with working remotely..... being at home everyday is tiring for me. we are all inclined to work remotely because that's the trend , we need to understand that, not everyone functions well working remotely. For someone that thrives independently, remote work can be good for them, but someone that's not self motivated or highly disorganized, introducing them to the remote work culture can result in something else....I mean if your boss had to check in on you daily, just so you could turn in your deliveries.....?? Thank you for this piece sir??