Is it Working Remotely or Remotely Working?
A Gen-Z designer’s account of what it is REALLY like!
A little history: working from home isn’t a new thing.
The choice to embrace working from home has taken the world by storm in the past few years. As of 2021, U.S. Census data tells us that 17.9% of American workers now choose to work remotely, more than tripling 2019’s figure of 5.7% of the labor force. What used to be a perk for only freelancers, business owners, and some others is quickly becoming the new standard across many industries and job titles.
This shift, due in no small part to COVID-19, has loosened restrictions and attitudes by forcing companies to go virtual to reopen the economy. Outside of quarantine and social distancing, employers recognize that working remotely is often the most efficient way for employees - and sometimes even entire enterprises - to maintain productivity.
Though it may feel like a pandemic-induced fad, the concept of working from home is far older than we might realize. The world’s oldest professions - no, not that one - are traditionally home-based: farmers, artisans, tenders of livestock, woodworkers, bakers, distillers, just to name a few, all functioned in and around living spaces before labor and employment became more sophisticated and human settlements grew in size.
Commerce and doing business changed as our interstate highways were built throughout the 20th century. People moved out to the suburbs and commuted via car and mass transit. Working from home became practically unheard of.
But in the 21st century, people at every level of the business world are discovering and adopting the practice of working where they live. According to a report by Owl Labs, 90% of survey respondents reported that they are just as productive, if not more when they work from home as opposed to an office setting.
The report also shows that working from home can boost employee morale, with 84% of survey respondents saying that continuing to work remotely after the pandemic makes them feel happier. More than two-thirds of respondents even said that they would accept a pay cut to do so!
Even inexperienced workers are becoming a part of remote and hybrid work environments. Entry-level jobs are popping up everywhere that don’t require applicants to live within commuting distance of a physical workspace, which means that candidacy for these jobs can be more competitive and attract the best applicants without the requirement of relocating.
“Technology now allows people to connect anytime, anywhere, to anyone in the world, from almost any device. This is dramatically changing the way people work, facilitating 24/7 collaboration with colleagues who are dispersed across time zones, countries, and continents. ”
Working from home has always been part of my origin story
I have a unique perspective in that I grew up with a mom who has always worked from home. My mom started Design Powers in 1996 when working from home wasn’t common. The internet was dial-up and very few professions had the framework in place to work from home, but the field of graphic design was well-suited to it.
My mother worked from home for two years before she welcomed me (her firstborn) into the world in 1998. When I asked her why she left her position as an art director in an established design firm downtown for the challenges of an at-home business she responded, “I observed my older sister commuting with her very young children through rush hour traffic to daycare, working all day, then back home in the evening rush hour. It looked exhausting. I knew if I wanted to be a mom and continue to work I’d have to do it from home.” Read about her journey to becoming the designer diva she is now!
My mom was always there when I came home from school to offer me a snack and listen to stories about my day. She was available to help me with my homework, chaperone field trips, volunteer at school or drive me to whatever after-school interests I was into (piano, soccer, singing, ice skating-you name it, I tried it).
I felt fortunate to have the option to go home right after school compared to my friends who had to go to an “extended day” program because their parent(s) worked until 5 or later. My mom seemed like a superhero, balancing steady client work while still taking care of our home and needs. “How does she do it?” I’d asked myself.
Distracting Mom while she works circa 2014!
The older I got, the more that question stuck with me. My mother would say goodnight to me and go back downstairs to her office to continue working on assignments into the night.
Long nights would turn into harried mornings, getting my brother and me off to school before starting her work day. My mother also had to set aside time to help us with our schoolwork. And let’s not forget all the fights that she had to break up when he and I couldn’t work it out!
I thought I could never do what she did because I didn’t think I was disciplined enough. I needed structure and remote work is all about self-discipline and accountability.
As the end to my senior year of college approached and I started to think about what I was going to do post-graduation, I knew one thing for sure. I was not working from home.
Pomp and Circumstances
Me and my mom at my college graduation ceremony. Although it was postponed, my alma mater did invite the 2020 graduating class to walk across the stage in May of 2021.
As a 2020 college graduate, my classmates and I were faced with a unique and frustrating employment landscape when we left college. We were posed to enter one of the most profitable job markets in the last 10 years, but to everyone’s surprise, COVID struck and turned everything upside down.
It was difficult to find work in general, and many companies had not fully embraced remote work like they have since. It didn’t help that most of the remote jobs available didn’t seem like the best opportunities for me to apply and grow my expertise. Besides- what did I care? I didn’t want to work from home anyway.
I started by applying for in-person positions because I felt I couldn’t balance work with the distractions and comforts of home.
When I finally landed a job, I felt like an adult and relieved to have somewhere to go during the height of the pandemic that wasn’t my bedroom or the grocery store.
But it also created some unexpected challenges.
Vanessa takes a quick selfie break at her in-person job in 2020
Working as a signage designer in a retail shop during the beginning of the pandemic was intense. I’d spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning in an effort to keep the storefront sanitized and safe for all the employees and customers. Although necessary, it dramatically reduced the amount of time I was able to give my work.
I also contracted COVID before the vaccine was readily available, which led to being out of work for 10 days, losing my taste and smell for several weeks, and having to deal with the infamous residual brain fog once I did return.
After a year of doing that, I realized I wanted to place myself in a work environment where I could be honing my graphic and web design skills without breathing into a mask 24/7.
“Hmmm, now where can I go to do that?” ;-)
“Remote work is the future of work.”
Pros and cons of working remotely
Adopting new habits isn’t easy and working remotely is no exception. With all the perks and benefits that come with staying at home during the workday, there are, inevitably struggles too.
It goes without saying, working from home is entirely dependent on having a fast and reliable internet connection and a reasonably powerful computer. To make remote work a part of your professional life - Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet are vital for virtual communication between clients or just us.
We also use slack to communicate real time, Asana for project management and Google business suite for email and visual and written content.
When my mother first graduated from art school, she worked in two design firms and a computer company before starting her own firm. She learned a ton about people, life, and business in those in-person environments which are harder to replicate sitting at home behind a screen.
We attempt to create that vibe virtually since we’re all in different locations doing daily chats, weekly milestones and monthly goals. We’re planning an in-person work retreat for the beginning of 2023 to plan out marketing strategies and goals.
Zoom meeting work attire is all business up top…
and comfort at the bottom!
The most important part of our virtual workspace is dropbox. All our client files are there and we have access to them 24/7. The pandemic forced my mom to put EVERYTHING in dropbox… something she used to only use for some client files.
Sometimes, the home isn’t the easiest place to get work done. Kids, pets, repair people or even outside noises like leaf blowers or construction can derail you when you really need to not have distractions.
However, there are plenty of ways to successfully work from home while still mitigating distractions.
You can hire a babysitter, dog walker, or general caretaker to lighten the load when you’re trying to get your work done. Also having a dedicated, ergonomic space, with natural light and the ability to shut a door can make a huge difference.
Others choose to reorient their work schedule and work non-traditional hours. This is what my parents did when my brother and I were babies. My mom would spend the day with us and then in the evening when my dad came home from work he’d take over and she’d go into her home office, shut the door and get to work.
Some companies allow their employees to work nontraditional hours as long as they are fulfilling productivity and time requirements, which means you can take care of your home-based tasks and still perform and excel at your professional duties.
“...remote work is one of the key tools… We have to let go of this very office-centric culture and incorporate people who are in a lot of geographies.”
I work from home and love it!
Vanessa’s Command Central
I’ve been working from home for over a year now and can readily say that I was totally wrong about my initial apprehension. It’s much easier than I expected to stay on task at home, and the fact that I’m comfortable in my workspace is a huge boost to my daily mood.
One of the best perks of working from home is that I can multi-task while doing billable work. The time that I would’ve spent scrolling on my cell phone in a break room I can now pop in a load of laundry, feed my kitty, Julius, or make myself lunch instead of going out and buying it.
Julius, DP’s emotional support animal
Working remotely was initially scary but I realized now that with the right mindset, team, communication tools, and processes in place I’m thriving and yet still challenged.
I never imagined having this much satisfaction and comfort while working in a place called home.
