Work from anywhere – Is it the future?

‘Work from anywhere’- the concept has been in existence for a long time but became mainstream in the last two years. I strongly recall speaking to acquaintances across organisations pre-2020 discussing about working-from-home and it sounded like an idea that is impractical, and most of them were not on board with this. Today when I speak to the people across organisations as well as potential candidates, one of the first conversation we have is about their preference on the matter. 

When people were forced to work from home in early 2020, little did we know that most of us would want that to be the way of life. Many of us would not believe that work can happen without physically being present in one location with your team. In addition, the new-found independence and the flexibility of remote working made work-life balance a reality. 

It is not an understatement to say work from anywhere is here to stay. Probably in different capacities across different organisations, but we’ll never go back to the 5 days a week 9 to 6 in office routine anytime soon. People love to have the flexibility to choose their working hours, to choose their daily schedule comfortably, not to spend an enormous time and energy commuting to place of work (especially in metro cities) and having time to do what they want beyond work. To be honest, a lot can be achieved working remotely. Many a times you are more productive, well rested, have the flexibility to travel, explore places while working and you might end up enjoying your work much more than when you had to be in office every day.

However, individuals, especially who are at the dawn of their career can find this extremely daunting. Whenever I speak with individuals who have just entered the workforce, I have seen multiple concerns shared by them about not being able to develop the soft skills and having a fear of not being recognised in such an environment, hindering their joy at work. While I do agree that some of them are potent apprehensions, there is a lot that one can do to make sure they are using this opportunity to the fullest. Here are my top 5 picks-

• Upskill

Never in our life have we encountered such abundance of time and resources at our disposal. Many organisations have now tied up with several platforms which has millions of courses not only about your domain area but everything else you can possibly think of. You can upskill your knowledge about your subject or any other subject that interests you at your own time and you’ll be surely able to leverage it at some stage in your career.

• Go that extra mile

We have always been advised to do this, but remote working gives you that chance where you are at par with everyone in your organisation. Not limiting yourselves just to your job you’ll be doing yourselves a huge favor. You’ll get to learn something new, meet new people apart from your team and this will boost your confidence which will ultimately help you in your journey.

• Make Friends in the organisation

The greatest number of adult friendships starts at office. While it might be a difficult to replicate the water cooler conversations or the natural ‘click’ with someone in a physical setup, use this to your advantage to talk to people who are not only from your country but resides anywhere in the world. At a time like this where all of us are going through such a collective experience, use your time to build effective networks and connections that’ll last a lifetime. Attend the noncompulsory sessions, the meetings where you feel you’ll not have anything to do. You never know where you’ll find someone you truly enjoy talking to. 

• Work on your soft skills

When all of us are working remotely or have the opportunity to choose so indefinitely, it might feel redundant to work on your communication or on your confidence, but I’d recommend you to still find a mentor and polish these skills. For the time being, start with your written communication and slowly, build up your verbal communication skills. When you have not worked in a physical setup, you’ll find it extremely daunting the day you’ll have to address an entire room by yourself. The skills you build today, will come to your rescue on that day.

• Take time off

At a time where you might not have much to do with leaves, this might feel unnecessary. Earlier I was going back to my hometown twice a year where I was using my leaves but having the flexibility to now work from my hometown whenever I choose, even I was unsure what to do with the leaves I get every year. But two years later, I have realised it’s imperative that you take some time off, from time to time, to replenish, rejuvenate and come back with greater motivation and zeal. It will help you evaluate your day to day routine and accelerate your enjoyment at work.

And lastly, always remember that your career is a marathon and not a sprint. 

The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Titas Dutta

Titas is a communication professional with 7+ years of experience. She is a passionate storyteller, creative thinker and a constant learner of random things. A self- proclaimed Hindi movie buff, she enjoys having good conversations with people that gives her a peak at their lives. With a background in Psychology and Graphology, she is eternally interested to ‘know the real things’ and a true believer of “agar end mein sab kuch theek na ho to woh the end nahi hain dosto.. Picture abhi baaki hai..”.
She currently heads global corporate communications for Cactus Communications and Cactus Venture Partners.