Being able to live a lifestyle that allows me to work and keep up with all of my projects and business ventures no matter where I am in the world is critical for me. The idea of being tied up to a chair, a desk and a computer at a set office location, day after day, working on a traditional 9 to 5 schedule just doesn’t suit me, it really never has and never will. I’ve always liked to be “mobile” and for that reason, I’ve never even owned a traditional desktop PC. I’ve been using laptops since I bought my first Toshiba T1200 laptop back in 1989!
My main work structure is the fact that I don’t have a structure. The beauty of it is that it can still “look as if” I have a structure, answering business calls, interacting with clients, participating in conference calls, etc. while in reality I could very much be conducting my business from any remote location several thousand miles away from my physical office location.
Obviously, affording this type of lifestyle just a few years ago was a bit more challenging than it is today. Nowadays, it just seems like every time I travel or work from any remote location, there are new tools, apps, and in general, better technology to make it a seamless transition. It’s never been easier to communicate and work with other people or clients anywhere and anytime.
Why some corporations are still reluctant to allow their employees to work remotely is mind-boggling to me. There are so many advantages that far outweigh any possible shortfalls that any excuses still being used to keep all employees anchored “at the office” all the time are starting to sound quite absurd. In fact, if you’re one of the persons that works in a traditional office setting, I’m sure you’ve heard colleagues say or even you have said yourself things like “tomorrow, I’m coming early when the office is quiet so that I can get some work done” or “I’m staying late after everyone leaves to concentrate on this task” or even more telling, “I’m staying home in the morning to finish this project without distractions.” What does that tell you about the employee productivity at your current office environment?
At MGR, we have the philosophy that “office is NOT required” and all of our team members are free to work from any location they want any hours they want. We’re more focused about quality, innovation, and meeting our clients’ deadlines than office settings and things like that. “Concept + Create + Implement” is our tag line for those of you not familiar with our company. Beyond that, everyone is absolutely “location-independent” when it comes to how they work or where they work from.
Avoiding a long commute to the office should be enough to convince everyone to find alternative options to work remotely. The average commuter spends around 300-400 hours per year using miscellaneous modes of transportation to get to and from their office. Think about it, that’s between two and three full weeks per year just commuting to work! Most people don’t even get that much vacation time per year. That’s just insane! Not to mention all the other side effects of commuting such as added stress, obesity, body aches, and even transportation costs such as gas, wear and tear of your vehicle, mileage depreciation, etc.
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A lot of employers spend quite a bit of resources and money on employee incentive programs, pre-scheduled social activities, bonus plans, and similar one-time events when in reality, is there a better reward than allowing their employees to work remotely and enjoy a better quality lifestyle on a daily basis?
The bottom line is that in today’s world, you must always move forward and adapt to new technologies, business environments, lifestyles, and especially, creating a work-life balance that allows you to perform at your best without preventing you from living and loving every minute of your life.
In a future article, I will share with you what specific tools and techniques I use when I travel or simply, when I’m working remotely to make my days just as productive as when I’m working from my home office.
Until next time, this is Manuel Gil del Real (MGR)
