Why You Need to Fall Into the Trap of Remote Work. Immediately.
Why You Need to Fall Into the Trap of Remote Work. Immediately.
Let's get a little close and personal with my experience with remote work, while keeping the tech part in mind, of course.
If you are currently teetering on the edge of falling into the incredible trap that is remote work, do so without hesitation. Of course, one could argue that hybrid work mode (if done right), in combination with flexibility and autonomy (two key pillars of new work), surpasses all other forms in its advantages. Nonetheless, remote work trumps on-site work any day (of course, you are welcome to disagree).
But let’s make it grander.
Allow me to paint a picture in your head.
Remote work, but not just with your colleagues in your state.
Instead, make it international.
Imagine working with people from all over the world while sitting comfortably in your home.
While it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it certainly will appeal to a larger demographic than other forms of work. It definitely has been that way for me. Hence, in this article, I want you to get a close and personal look at what it is like to work remotely and how exactly I was able to get this incredible job where we ensure that all our interactions are based on kindness.
Of course, I will make sure to cover how technology has been instrumental in making remote work happen and how you can utilize it to get similar opportunities. Trust me, it goes beyond one’s ability to unmute themselves on a Zoom call.
Before that, however, let’s look at the industry statistics concerning remote work.
Remote Work’s Global Rise
Remote work’s rise to global popularity was a rather speedy affair, a prompt corporate response to the horror that was COVID-19. Surely, unless you live under a rock, you have had some touch-and-go moments with remote work and how it altered the lives of employees.
From being 9-to-5, the work extended beyond any intangible boundaries that were previously in place and went from being mildly time unconscious to being entirely so. Suddenly, we were all working like the Big 4 consultants and had to forget the meaning of work-life balance. The cons of remote work weren’t inherent to remote work itself but in how managements of nearly all companies decided to approach it.
Nonetheless, employees also realized that remote work allowed them more freedom than before, giving them time to bond with family and the opportunity to travel the world without having to take a vacation day.
The number of remote jobs, too, has witnessed nearly a 400% increase over the last four years. Specifically, in the US, remote jobs now comprise 15% of total jobs, a rise from the 4% that was noted before the pandemic.
More important is the fact that remote work significantly improves the well-being of employees. As per a study by Owl Labs and Global Workplace Analytics, 74% of employees reported feeling happier in their remote jobs. What is eye-opening is the fact that about 50% of employees would take a pay cut if it meant that they could continue working remotely.
While we have data to establish how beneficial remote work can be and how it can positively impact our well-being, would it even be possible with all the technological tools that we have at our disposal?
Technology for Remote Work
Whenever we think of remote work and associated technologies, we think of Slack, Zoom, Teams, and Asana. But there is more to the story.
Right now, we can access data that is not stored in physical files in cabinets but (mostly) secure online databases, which might seem simple and intuitive at first glance but would not be possible without cloud computing.
On to the more interesting stuff, however, let’s first talk about virtual reality and remote work. We have research from Microsoft that talks about how VR can provide a platform for remote work to thrive. While the first thought of VR may prompt ideas of entertainment and immersive gaming, we have clear applications of VR being used for work purposes.
The most prominent example is training and development in fields where hands-on learning is required, such as aviation and medical, allowing learners access to previously inaccessible materials. VR, as you could probably imagine, also allows for global collaboration by allowing employees to be present in the same environment while not necessarily being in close physical proximity. Such immersion is also expected to combat the negative effects of remote work, such as loneliness and isolation.
That is what the future of remote work is expected to look like. VR has possible implications for your levels of engagement and motivation as well, and once its use becomes more mainstream, any arguments against the benefits of remote work would be put to rest.
Another important piece of technology that has been closely associated with remote work is blockchain. Now, I am no cryptocurrency whiz. In fact, I have never invested in bitcoin. Not exactly because I am averse to the uncertainty it accompanies, but because I don’t know enough about it to make smart decisions. Nonetheless, when I hear blockchain, my first thought revolves around crypto.
However, blockchain has applications in HR that are worthy of being discussed. For those of you who are in the same boat as I, blockchain technology, in its basic form, is a system that is entirely decentralized and allows for transparent recording of transactions across computers. The transactions could be of anything from pure information to money.
Blockchain uses multiple data sources to verify the data that the employee inputs. Plus, there is no scope for falsifying records, as once the data (employee claiming to have a degree from a particular university, for example) becomes verified, it is permanently stored.
Concerning remote work, blockchain allows for electronic registration for remote employees, enabling them to sign contracts and manage their data entirely remotely while maintaining transparency and authenticity. As such, blockchain eliminates the need for physical documents and even emails for transacting information pertaining to credentials.
Another important area where blockchain assists is the maintenance of payroll and payment of salaries. The blockchain technology enables salaries to be sent securely and instantly, even across borders, reducing transaction fees and delays. These are just a few examples and not entirely mainstream yet, but you couldn’t deny that we are definitely getting there.
However, as this article doesn’t exactly concern itself with blockchain, I will refrain from expanding further.
My Experience with Remote Work and the Technology that Made it Possible
Now on to the (what I think are) juicy bits. In this piece, I really wanted to get close and personal with my experience with remote work, so I will try to break it down now. However, since I do have a lot of remote work experience, we will keep some stuff for other articles.
For me, the connection with remote work while coinciding with the COVID-19-driven compulsion was not dependent upon it. It was in late 2021 when I started working for a Swiss-based startup headquartered in Geneva called Impaakt. I had just graduated from university with an undergraduate degree in Applied Psychology, and the prospects of securing employment in my field were slim to none. Plus, I had already wasted three months of my time just wondering and contemplating the options that were available to me.
After a brief meeting with a senior, I had made up my mind to pursue an MBA from a prestigious university. The problem was that I was not even remotely good at Mathematics, and my brain failed to recognize numbers. The solution, as I came upon it, was to take a year-long break and study for the entrance exam. It was several months into my snail-paced preparation that I realized that it was not a task that I was going to succeed at, at least not within a year.
This conclusion was considering the fact that my competition would also be preparing for at least a year in advance, would likely be much older than me, and, resultantly, would boast more experience than me, a young adult who had only briefly tasted her twenties and had no full-time work experience at all. Plus, the majority of them were likely to have a background in engineering, a field that inherently enables you to be good at Mathematics, especially compared to those who had a background in social sciences, like me.
By the time this realization struck, months had gone by, and I had failed to apply to a master’s program in the field of my choice, that is, organizational behavior. Hence, instead of falling into the trap of sunk cost fallacy and half-heartedly continuing to study for an exam where I was not likely to succeed within the year, I decided to look elsewhere.
It was one day in November of 2021 when I was scrolling through Instagram that I came across an advert for Impaakt. The work comprised writing quantitative, entirely data-driven articles on the impact of companies on society and the environment. The plus, at that time, seemed to be the great pay. They were offering EUR30 for every article published which, if you convert to Rupees, is a pretty good amount of money. Plus, the work itself allowed me to stay close to the corporate world. So, I signed up and applied to become a Certified Impact Analyst. It took me a month to actually get the certification and start getting paid.
In each analysis that I wrote, each word was carefully examined by a reviewer before publication. Of course, many times, the analysis didn’t have enough concrete, generalizable data for it to be publication-worthy, so hours could and did go to waste. It was difficult work; painstaking, if you will. Nonetheless, I continued working with Impaakt for nearly two years, even after I started graduate school in 2022.
What kept me going even though a single analysis required hours of work?
Of course, the great pay and the fact that I liked the work were at play, but beyond that, it was the fact that I was working with people from all over the globe and learning from them each day. Plus, these people not only had varied experiences that allowed me to look at the world from varying perspectives, but they were also kind and helpful, which is not something I can say about the big brands of the corporate world.
The sole fact that I got to work with a global workforce was a matter of pride and satisfaction for me. Additionally, Impaakt allowed me to explore my creativity and ideas without limiting me to a silo, as it was completely up to me how I did my research and from what sources I got my information (the sources, obviously, needed to be reliable and credible). The entirety of the two years that I spent at Impaakt skyrocketed my intellectual growth. At least that is how I feel.
But would all of this have been possible without the wonder that is technology? Of course not. I know that you know that global remote work would not have been possible without the various pieces of technology that we have available to us, but I do feel that many of us do not realize just how to make the best use of this technology to progress in our careers.
Sure, we can get ChatGPT to write that annoying email for us or use Chrome extensions that get us instant and latest results from the web typed in the format we want, but there is so much more.
In my case (and I understand that this is very anecdotal data, but I believe that this can also happen for you if you want it, of course), moving from Impaakt, I went on to work as an HR volunteer (more like an intern, to be honest) for two Manchester-based firms, all while I was pursuing my two master's degrees. Following the UK stint, I worked for a Korean firm, which was an onsite role, to be fair, but I did collaborate with the managers who were located in South Korea, all of which I did remotely.
And you know how all of this experience helped me? It helped me land an entirely remote job for a global firm for a role that I really liked but was pretty scarce. Another great point of my current role? The pay is absolutely incredible. But the best part is that remote work allows me to actually have time to write; the time that I otherwise would be spending stuck in terrible Bangalore traffic.
Also, the culture? Incomparable.
How was all of this possible? It is all due to the technology that allowed it to happen. I know that if I did not have access to the same resources I did while gathering all this experience, I would probably be working at a dead-end job, grinding in the office from ten in the morning till 8 in the evening, and being paid pennies for the work I did.
That is the unfortunate situation of corporations in India, as far as I know and have experienced.
So for those of you who do see the value in making use of technology, more so than the general public, here are a few things you too can do to get that high-paying remote job that allows you to remain with your family while providing ample intellectual stimulation and a supportive environment.
Start small. If you are entirely new to the concept of global remote work (perhaps you are a new graduate), I would recommend applying for remote internship positions or volunteer positions before aiming for a full-time role. This is not to say that you cannot get a full-time role without internship experience, but it will definitely give you better odds.
Be an expert in your field. It is essential that you have good knowledge of the domain in which you want to work. Consider enrolling in courses or MOOCs to gain such knowledge, as it will give you an edge over your competition.
Work on your communication skills. As in a global remote position, you would be working with people from all over the globe, it is important for you to be good at concisely articulating your thoughts in a way that makes them easily understandable. For this purpose, work on your public speaking skills and practice active listening.
Have impressive side projects. While your education and prior work experience are going to be the most important aspects of your job application, if you have any side projects or perhaps a portfolio that is likely to impress the recruiters and the hiring managers, I would recommend adding those to your resume and talking about them in the interview.
Talking about these projects will make you more memorable and help you stand apart from the crowd. For me, it was my academic research background and my active LinkedIn profile.
Work on skills that are high in demand but low in supply. Now what these skills are will depend entirely on your field, but in my case, it was my data skills that helped me get bonus points during the interview, considering that HR is traditionally an intuition-driven field.
Person-organization fit is important. One of the key areas on which you will be assessed is whether there is a person-organization fit between you and the company where you have applied. While this is applicable for any job role, regardless of whether it is remote and global or not, it becomes considerably more important when it is remote and global.
Do not be afraid to talk about eyebrow-raising ideas. During your interview, it is important that you talk about ideas that make the recruiter do a double-take, if you will. Now, if you can’t think of one, it is not extremely necessary for you to come up with impossible ideas, but I would recommend talking about ideas that you thought would never get any traction in your previous organization.
While there are many more actions that you can take, it is obviously not necessary or feasible for you to actually pursue them. But if you are able to make time or are already experienced in any of the points I mentioned above, talking about them is going to be a big help, so do not be shy or modest during interviews. Be respectful, of course, but also be bold and brazen in putting your point across while being open-minded to newer ways of thinking.
And that wraps up the latest edition of The Channel. Hopefully, you found reading the article worthwhile. I feel like talking about my experience with remote work (and how fulfilling it has been) could really be a series of sorts, as there is so much more that I would like to discuss. Let’s see how it pans out.
What are your thoughts on international remote work?
Yay or nay?
Do let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Until next time,
Enjoyed the read? Consider subscribing!
