Remote Working: Making it work for you
We recently had one of our team members really put the remote work scenario to the test, to determine if it was in fact possible to work from anywhere. In our previous posts, we had discussed a bit about remote work, and the flexibility that it offers, but now we decided to put our money where our mouths were. We had one of our team members move into a camper for the summer to determine if this was feasible.
The challenge: Infrastructure
The internet has allowed many to free themselves from their desks. Freelancers are successfully operating all over the world from just a laptop. It's an amazing phenomenon.
It is a much more difficult task to operate remotely at scale. Any company wishing to deploy a remote workforce has to really think about their setup and has to be open to making changes as the company evolves.
It starts with the internet of course but then spans out to communication tools, job management software, and other day-to-day apps that enable a business to function (email, calendar, to-do lists, CRM, etc.). Fortunately, the tools are out there. Unfortunately, it takes time and experimentation to understand what and what doesn't work - and how it all fits long-term into your company's goals and vision.
The verdict:
Luckily, ConnectCPA has been around since the end of 2013. In this time, the co-founders and team have trialled, tested, re-tested, and experimented with hundreds of online apps and software to determine what works best with a remote team while simultaneously delivering an amazing customer experience. With years of work behind us, the remote work challenge was possible.
The challenge: Internet
One of the key success factors to remote work, is the “wherever there’s wifi” mentality. However, it can’t just be any wifi, it must be good wifi. When living in a campground, your wifi is basically non-existent, especially in remote communities. Therefore, our team member relies entirely on cell coverage to provide the necessary speed to have Zoom, Slack, and all of our other essential cloud apps up and running.
The verdict:
LTE provides the necessary speed to complete online work. It does come at a hefty cost, due to the sheer volume of data required for the job (think 30-50GB per month).
The challenge: Motivation
It’s clear that working in an RV is definitely a different setting than working in a home, the question was, could we stay motivated in the new setting?
The verdict:
Luckily, our team member had already been working for us for over a year, so was already quite used to the motivation of working in a non-office setting. It might require a little extra motivation if your setting is one that tempts you often (near a beach/lake/ocean, mountainside, etc.). That being said, if you begin the journey in the right frame of mind - that this is just your new home and you're still required to complete your tasks in a timely manner - finding the motivation is easy, since you know that remote work still provides you with enough of a flexible schedule to enjoy your journey.
Final Thoughts:
Although living in an RV isn’t for everyone (not just for work purposes, but living purposes as well), we’ve determined that it is in fact possible to live and work from anywhere. Our team member has now had the opportunity to not just live in an RV, but work in a co-work space, various homes, and has been truly flexible in their living arrangements (with some limitations, because at the end of the day, there is a professional job that needs to be completed!).
