By Jillian Broaddus
It was three years ago when I first took my corporate job on the road. I ended my lease in Atlanta, sold my car, gave away all of my material belongings, and packed my life into a carry-on suitcase as I embarked to work and see the world. Since then, I took 136 flights, traveled over 200,000 miles, and visited 67 countries, all while maintaining my job back home. I spent two years searching for the fastest Wi-Fi and quietest cafes all around the world, setting my alarm to start my workday at 2am from Maui, working nocturnally in Bali, hot-spotting from my phone on a road trip across Norway, and taking conference calls past midnight in Turkey, before waking up for a hot air balloon ride at sunrise (pictured above!).
Now, the rest of the world is following suit! Of course, with or without coronavirus, remote work has been on the rise for years. In fact, the rate of telecommuting has more than doubled in the past decade (Forbes source). And for good reason: 80% of telecommuters report being less stressed and feeling more balanced as compared to working in a traditional office environment, and 78% of executives report that their employees are as or more productive when working remotely! Oh, and not to mention that this ends up saving corporations an average of $11,000 per remote employee per year!
In the age of the current pandemic, work-from-home policies are the new normal. According to one survey of global HR executives, 88% of corporations have encouraged or required their employees to work from home and 97% have cancelled work-related travel. We’ve been fast-tracked into a setting in which Zoom calls replace face-to-face meetings and IMs replace water cooler chats.
I know firsthand the advantages and struggles of being a remote employee. I’ve worked both as a remote corporate employee for an Atlanta-based company, and as a self-employed professional, managing clients across varied time zones while on the move myself. I know that while the benefits are plentiful, the transition to a non-traditional office doesn’t come without its own challenges for employees and leaders alike: most notably in regards to communication, collaboration, and trust. That’s why I developed the Remote Leader 360 Assessment, with items targeted towards tackling the issues most pressing to remote teams. The survey includes questions which will highlight the strengths and areas of improvement of your leaders – whether you are merely struggling to navigate this new remote environment for now, or if you are planning for flexible work policies to be here to stay!
Hit the “Contact Us” tab above if you’re interested in finding out more about how to sign your team up for the Remote Leader 360!
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