Since the pandemic, remote work, or in other parts of the world commonly referred to as “smart-working,” has become a mainstay in most industries to some extent. There is no one-size fits all and there is an obvious context to professional roles and organizational operations with the emphasis being on knowledge workers versus manufacturing in its many forms. However, one of the most prevalent findings across companies is that when hybrid work is available and supported, employee happiness increases. Stated differently: job satisfaction improves. That, in turn, generally improves productivity and length of tenure in an organization. One of the primary negative findings raised since the pandemic is that loneliness and team/organization disengagement can have a protracted detrimental effect.

 

Looking at the economics, most outcomes are favorable both in terms of cost-savings and increases in overall company revenue for hybrid workers. Some workers still love going into the office daily for reasons like avoiding distractions at home, but those are generally outliers. The key variables to make remote work successful are clear policies and expectations. If you have clear policies and expectations about availability, starttime/stop-time, type of attendance at meetings, and systems for tracking outcomes, there should be minimal difficulty managing remote work. One of the mindset shifts relies upon outcomes and not hours on the clock.

 

For solopreneurs I have come across people working from a van, foreign countries, and just about any location you can imagine. I took this step myself beginning in 2024 and was able to successfully remotely work from many foreign countries. The technology requirements for doing so are simple and obvious: Wifi, cellular reception, and a good headset. The individual requirements are having outstanding logistical planning skills, self-discipline, and flexibility.

 

The Exercise:

On remote work days, do a full audit and time-tracking experiment to see how you spend your time. At the end of the day write down what was most efficient, what was most effective, what you could have done better, and anything else you think could have made the day more “optimal.” If you don’t currently have the luxury of remote work, but wish to, negotiate with your boss to have one experimental day in which you work remotely. Say you wish to prove that you can be at least twice as effective (not productive, because an increase in productivity is not necessarily tied to outcomes).