Working Close to Home

Working Close to Home

By Sue Ellson

Very early in my career, I worked in retail banking and I moved around to a lot of different bank branches. One was within walking distance of home and the other, a bike ride that started out as 40 minutes long and was eventually less than 20 minutes as my fitness improved.

After previously having a commute into the city every day, the new found freedom of not having to battle public transport and arriving home so quickly after completing work meant that life was so much easier.

When my banking career ended in 1994 because I couldn't be transferred interstate, I lost my entire income, identity and sense of belonging overnight. I haven't had a full time job for one employer ever since.

When I started working from home, well before any pandemic, I discovered new benefits. The one minute commute. But something was missing. People.

Sure, I tend to introversion over extraversion (where my energy comes from within rather than from other people). But I felt disconnected, I didn't 'belong' anywhere and the level of discipline required to start and finish on time was next level.

To survive, I had to recreate my own identity in a new location, without any support.

It wasn't easy.

But I have tried and tested a variety of options over the years. I have had to make a lot of conscious and proactive decisions.

Now, as we start 2023, there are a lot of options available.

1. Working close to home (my favourite)
2. Working from home
3. Working four days instead of five days a week
4. Working 9 days a fortnight instead of 10
5. Flexible working hours (which could be divided into different time slots and not just in a single block or same days and same times)
6. Hybrid work - a combination of any of onsite, remote, flexible timing etc
7. Gig work - both locally and internationally based on your expertise
8. Scheduled work - via apps and online tools
9. Job sharing - particularly useful for multipotentialites who crave variety
10. Side hustles and transition work - for people planning a new direction

I could go on. That is just a quick taste test.

However, why is 'working close to home' my favourite option?

1. Short commute
2. Maintenance of a difference between work and home
3. Sustainability - much easier to manage
4. Environmentally friendly - a lot less carbon emissions
5. Connectivity - you become more connected to your local community as you are seeing more people in your local area
6. Creation of demand - for local resources and infrastructure - ie co-working spaces as an adjunct to the main office in a different location
7. Engagement - with other people. We are all social creatures and need to be around other humans and if we are close to home, we can 'regroup' easily when needed
8. Belonging - sharing stories and insights from around the area with other locals - why do you think country towns have a history of volunteering and supporting one another through a crisis?
9. Commitment - we all want to keep our own little nest as good as possible - this creates a sense of ownership and pride and a willingness to take responsibility for our local environment
10. Supportive - by spending money in your local community, you create community, connections, leads, referrals. You may also be more willing to lobby local government for better support

I realise this is not an option for every employer, employee or person.

If you have specialist expertise that requires you to be onsite in a particular location or at multiple locations, you may never be able to work close to home. If you are a tradesperson though, there are ways to maximise gigs that are close to home.

But could you live closer to your work?

What would this take?

What policy decisions could make this work?

1. More flexible housing and lifestyle options (including quality rentals, schooling options, childcare etc)
2. Employers choosing to move offices to diverse locations (already started with some government departments in Australia)
3. Better local infrastructures - here in Melbourne, that could mean a great coffee shop close by but also flexible workspaces that allow for changes in demand
4. More collaboration between local businesses - where perhaps employees and resources are shared more effectively and people do not operate in 'silos' and where larger businesses source local support to reduce supply chain issues
5. Local support, training and mentoring groups - to aid in the transition and facilitate the processes involved - how many people only look for jobs that are advertised but do not network locally within the hidden job market? How can local residents be upskilled and employers focus on the essential skills for a new employee and train for the rest? How can isolated people working from home connect locally?
6. Research data - we have already seen that the Australian Bureau of Statistics data saw a 21% of people working from home during the pandemic and are now predicting 15% ongoing in the future so whilst these people are not part of the current working close to home cohort, they have many similar needs and if they are 'abandoned' in their community, I can predict long term mental health, domestic violence and isolation issues
7. An era of low cost experimentation, startups and innovation where issues are revealed and then engaged community members come up with suggestions that can be trialled, reviewed and implemented
8. Local awareness campaigns to help the local community learn more about 'their own backyard' and what is already available locally. Capacity sharing networks. Oh how I wish we could bring back local community newspapers with a community building focus. When we 'had' to stay within a five kilometre radius during lockdown, it was amazing what we discovered
9. Requirements to source lowly paid and unskilled workers within a 10 kilometre or one hour travel time radius in built up areas with affordable accommodation in all areas. The number of times I have heard of lowly paid workers commuting for over one hour is abominable and is essentially slave labour when considering the total time away from home and the cost to travel
10. Better recognition and availability of senior level roles in more locations rather than concentrated in central business districts. Likewise, it should not be necessary for all senior personnel to live so close to cities when their personal preference may be to live in a regional or even remote location. Encouraging independent schools and various services to have representation in a broader range of satellite locations

I have been living and working 'out in the wild' for a long time and the only way I can create the 'best of all worlds' is to live in a quiet street, in a well serviced suburb, with a responsible local council, a train station within walking distance, a small car and be close to a major Australian city.

For anybody who doesn't have all of these options, life is a lot more complicated, time consuming and difficult. I pay a premium to live here, but I do enjoy the benefits.

What I would like to see going forward is more people enjoying the lifestyle I have created with a lot of conscious and proactive decision-making.

In my view, working-close-to-home along with some of the other options listed above can create a much better work-life balance and a more sustainable economy, community and environment.

What do you think?

Are you working close to home right now? Is it working for you?

What would you need to do if you wanted to work close to home?

What support would you need?

Would love to hear your views in the Comments.

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#workingclosetohome?#wcth #careers #sueellson

First Published:?2 January 2023

Last Update:?2 January 2023

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Sue Ellson?BBus, MPC, CDAA, ASA, WV, SPN, is an Independent LinkedIn Specialist, Business and Careers Consultant, Trainer and Author.

More information?at?https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/sueellson?and?https://sueellson.com

Questions directly via email sueellson [at] sueellson.com