What Is Remote Work, and Is It Right for You?

Let me ask you a question first!

Where would you like to wake up in the morning? A city abroad that you always dreamed of visiting for a couple of days? A tropical island with exotic food and a balcony that faces the ocean? Or maybe even a remote area secluded from the agitation of urban cities?

Well let me tell you that nowadays it is entirely possible to choose a location and start crafting a life that includes both travel and work you are passionate about! The concept of remote work has been embraced more and more in the last few years and shows great promise of expanding even more.

In today’s digital age, with technology advancing at lightning speed, remote work has become more feasible and popular than ever before! It offers a flexible, convenient, and often more productive way of working.

Companies are adopting remote work at an accelerated pace, not only because a big part of employees opt for it, but also because it helps companies lower their office costs.

Also, during the pandemic, many companies were forced to implement remote working within their way of life — so this involuntary “experiment” , if we can call it so, has proved that remote work is feasible and can work out fine for both employees and employers.

By reading this article you will better understand how this can be achievable in todays environment. Not only that, but there are pitfalls that you should be aware of in order to avoid headache and issues.

We will cover:

• What remote work is, more exactly
• What remote work is not
• Remote work in 2024

Let’s dive in and explore the ins and outs of this exciting way of working!

Definition of remote work

In the late 2000s and early 2010s remote work started to gain popularity. This happened thanks to the growth of freelancing platforms and the timely emergence of cloud-based collaboration tools. These tools being communication tools (both audio and video), software repositories (such as Github), project management and task management tools.

They were created with the sole purpose of helping teams synchronise and keep themselves on the same page with the latest updates on their work.

The covid pandemic only helped accelerate this trend since people were forced to remain in a lockdown state and could not visit their offices. Even more tools have been created since (Zoom being a popular one).

What remote work is not

Remote work is not escapism.

Some people are believe that people who work remotely don’t get anything done. However, that is wrong as productivity in a remote workspace — just like in an office — depends on how well organised you are on delivering on your tasks. Remote work puts you in charge regarding your work environment and habits. Some people do better in a collective space where they can physically be in the same room. Some can do their work better if they can be alone and focus on their work without having to deal with interruptions or social etiquette. This doesn’t mean that they are not available for discussions — it just means that they need to protect their focus and that’s how they are at their most productive.

Other people work just as well but prefer to add the change of environment to their lifestyle.

Work-life balance is a matter that is in the spotlight more and more recently and remote work is a concept that has been widely integrated into many of today’s industries.

Remote work is not avoiding responsibilities

The rule of thumb is that the work delivery should not change and should not be affected by remote work.

It is nothing more than a convenience to help employees (and freelancers) be happier and energised at work. Working from a different cafe every day can add a pinch of excitement in your life and remove monotony. Most people enjoy their colleagues and their work, but the root of work dissatisfaction is the repetition, the same environment and the lack of change.

Working remotely actually brings a new array of responsibilities to your life!

• You have to secure your workspace and make sure there aren’t interruptions that break your flow of productivity.
• You have to be on top of your software that you use for collaborative work and communication — you have no IT support by your side when working remotely.
• You have to manage your own travel and accommodation.
• You have to be on top of your schedule in order to synchronise efficiently with your colleagues and hit deadlines.
• Work from home is a type of remote work — however, most people tend to have bad experiences with working solely from their home because the same issue of repetition and monotony creeps in (in those cases, it is better to try out a co-working space!)

So, remote work is not a free-ticket to a more carefree life! It does involve more work and self-management than traditional office work.

Remote work is not easy out of the get-go

So settling into the life of a remote nomad is not the easiest task.

That’s because there is a load of stuff that you need to set up by yourself, ranging from setting up the collaborative software by yourself, communication challenges, setting a structure and a schedule on the fly, sorting out accommodation and anything and everything inbetween.

Including doing your regular work.

In the end, it depends on you if you can create proper conditions for a better workspace. Sometimes the extra work and stress may not be worth it if it doesn’t leave you any time to actually enjoy remote work itself. Many people are more comfortable working in the privacy of their homes, but be aware that extra comfort that is left unchecked doesn’t always lead to a healthy or enjoyable lifestyle. There are many blogs out there that touch on the subject of mental health and the human need to not be secluded at home.

Also, communication is paramount.

In some instances, you will be thrown into a remote position which already has an amount of structure in place. That makes it easier to get onboard because other people can guide you through their processes. Other times, however, you’re on your own and having everything sorted and working fine is solely on you.

So for the people that overlook the amount of detail that has to be managed while working remotely, there are definitely quite some things to be considered.

Remote work is not always instant

Many companies offer the possibility of working from home from day one, but others take a gradual approach to implementing it. Meaning that it can start with one or two or three days of working from home. The possibility of working 100% remotely sometimes comes down later in the path. It usually boils down to how much you can work independently and don’t need assistance from anyone else within the team to be physically with you. Working with clients can sometimes be tricky if you are required to physically be there and attend meetings, as opposed to having inline meetings with your colleagues with whom you already have a good relationship with and communicate just fine online.

In order to exchange your current location with a remote tropical island or the heart of a cultural city you need to have a job that offers you 100% remote work capabilities. Software Developer jobs are the most predominant ones that incorporate a remote work structure. They have been so for decades (just not as much as they are today).

The list doesn’t end at software developers — the remote lifestyle is adopted by a vast array of jobs, such as:

• Customer Service Representative
• Data Entry Clerk
• Virtual Assistant
• Graphic Designer
• Translator
• Social Media Manager
• Online Tutor
• Travel Agent
• Insurance Agent
• Recruiter
• Tech Support
• Specialist
• Writer
• Editor
• Marketing Manager
• Sales Representative
• Project Manager
• Consultant
• Financial Analyst
• Product Manager
• Human Resources Specialist
• Business Development Manager
• Public Relations Specialist
• etc.

Nonetheless, the key part in this is your communication with managers and directors so that you are both on the same page and aware of the deliverables and the deadlines that your company needs from you. With good collaboration at work, and good communication.

Is Remote Work a Right Fit For You?

As we have covered so far, remote work covers a lot of extra work and responsibilities.

Below we have a graph that shows the number of Google searches for the term “remote work”. As you can see the pandemic has been a trigger that increased global awareness for the term.

(Google searches for the term “remote work”)

Even though the pandemic has been the catalyst that made remote work popular, the term has been utilised before, and the practice of remote work has been around since even earlier than that. It is the technological revolution of the last 2 decades (which includes the mainstream adoption of smartphones) that facilitates remote workers better than ever before.

This is a period of change which along with globalisation and ease of travel, provides the best conditions for remote workers to travel and discover new places without interrupting their productivity at work. Some even being energised by the ability to choose their location.

So How Can I Start?

So, if you find yourself taking a tentative step toward the remote work lifestyle, I recommend using the Reef app, from which you can choose one of 1500+ locations in the UK (and soon to be worldwide) that can host you while you work from your laptop. We are talking about elegant venues such as cafes, restaurants and others. The gist is simple: you choose a cafe you want to work from, you make a booking, and then you can show up there with your laptop. You will have a reserved place in which you can carry on with your work. You will have a power plug nearby and exclusive venue offers (usually a free drink and big discounts on food). Each venue has different offers.

The subscription price is just £5 and you can use my code GHERGU10 for a 10% discount.

Head to https://www.reef.rocks to find out more and upgrade you remote work lifestyle today!