Make It Work Anywhere

Being able to work from home has become more welcomed in recent years, but remember, work still needs to be done. In an overview of top rated companies 51% offer flexible hours and a little over 17% allow employees to work remotely. People assume that if an employer allows you to office remotely that your are not managed, you can wake up anytime you please, respond to emails/calls at your convenience, and brush off tasks until you are ready to complete them….Ummmm, No. Let’s bring you back to reality. There are still parameters you need to stay within, such as, business hours traditionally still begin in the morning and end in the late afternoon or early evening. Certain companies expect to see you “clock in” at a particular time and monitor your activity throughout the day, because unfortunately there are people who take advantage of this benefit which brings us to another misconception that people who work remotely are lazy or are not really professionals. There are definitely professionals who have done well in maintaining a remote career, consultants, virtual assistants, and freelancers come mind; these people have generated a list of clientele who have specific needs and contract out the work.

Being given the choice to work from anywhere or having the flexibility to do so is not something one should underestimate when thinking about the demands of a job. Anytime I am out of my office, I am still in office mode, whether I am sitting by the window at a coffee shop, making sure I am connected to the hotel WiFi, or checking emails on my phone periodically, I don’t need anyone to think I am slacking off. I took the position I currently have and it is going to stay mine until I let it go. I will not give anyone reason to second guess my work ethic. I have a job and people pay me for my knowledge and skill set, so I am going to make sure those checks keep coming my way. You are entitled to have personal or vacation time, but when you are on company time…Sweetheart, you better get your coffee ready and have your brain fired up. Sometimes I joke with people about being lackadaisical with completing my tasks, yet the reality is, I know what’s expected of me and more importantly, I have expectations of myself.

For those of you who cannot fully function at home there are such things as Co-working spaces which are essentially shared work spaces that are affordable office space for those looking to escape the isolation of a home office or coffee shop. These shared work spaces offer a suite of office-like amenities such as hot-desks, private meeting rooms, kitchens, coffee and more. Or you can just opt for the free WiFi at Starbucks, you may have to prowl around for a power outlet though…Hence, why I have plans of opening a coffee shop geared towards people who need a relaxing space to work because the expansion of businesses and people operating beyond the office is only going to increase, I gotchu and I may even cook. How do you like your eggs? Need more coffee? Bailey’s Irish Cream with that?

And have you heard?! There are even some start-ups wanting to popularize unique private spaces for you to rest, “Sleep Pods”. Companies like Google and Samsung have already implemented such benefits. Yes, there are many resources for us to be successful outside of the traditional office. I mean, you can even earn advanced degrees from the comfort of your own kitchen table. Last week I took an exam in a space full of people in their business casual attire, I had my headphones on, the server delivered my breakfast croissant, and I noticed the person sitting next to me working on pivot tables with his headphones on. Oh what a world we live in.

Big companies and organizations are learning that employees need outlets and other resources to perform well. Here’s an interesting fact, the Grand Canyon gives their employees the option to live within the park by providing housing and they even have public schools for their children…inside the National Park. I learned their high school graduation ceremonies are held on one the of rims of the Canyon. Can you imagine how amazing those pictures are?

There is no such thing as “work when I want to”. You may be more effective at different times of the day but, you still have on interact full time with your responsibilities even if you are your own boss. Business owners and Entrepreneurs still need to oversee and manage productivity, review profits and losses, make changes, call meetings, organize, and delegate to stay in business. I know a husband and wife duo who seem to never sleep. They have a widely successful restaurant, breaking ground to open more establishments, attend their kids activities, go to the gym, spend time with relatives, give back to the community, meet with their business partners, train new employees, and still have date nights. I always see them working and achieving together. They are a legit power couple. I applaud them.

Even the main company I am currently with, the owners are still very hands on with the day to day activities. I communicate with one of them practically everyday. What this tells me is that if the owners are working, I need to be working too, not snuggled up under my covers avoiding adulthood. You should be operating when your customers or clients are operating. Companies have to meet quotas and if your are sitting home not helping to meet that, well then you should already be comfortable where you’re at.

You see that picture of me with a backpack, standing close to the edge even though I was told not to? I don’t listen, but that is beside the point…I am nowhere near an office but, guess what is in the bag? My laptop, an external hard drive, and a notebook. One thing I learned about myself and others who have the same goal-oriented mindset is that we never really shut ourselves off from working and the proof is in our results. My father is preparing retirement and he has been recently talking to me about not putting too much on my shoulders, Daddy, I hear you; I’ll slow down when I reach your bank roll, sir. (I am my Father’s Daughter but, he knows who he raised.) Whether it is logic, rationale, or creativity, the thoughts of a working mind are relative to productivity, growth, and success. Even with our personal relationships, look at the business aspects of it:

• How well do we work together?

• Is there integrity?

• What is his/her drive compared to my own?

• How can we help or benefit each other?

• Do we keep open lines of communication?

• What are our goals?

• Can we depend on each other?

• Is there support on both sides?

• Are we good a conflict resolution?

• Are we able to overcome adversities together?

• Can we compromise?

  (Refer back to Business Woman to Business Wife for more insight.)

All of you reading may not agree with this thought but, Everything is fundamentally business related. A business person will always be a busy person but, If you can organize yourself, then you have time for everything you need and want to have time for. How are you advancing personally and professionally? One plays on the other. Having the flexibility to work from anywhere can benefit your personal life but, it still has to balance.

I enjoy both being able to have an office to go to and having projects that allow me to be remote. If you have the tenacity to achieve without the confines of a physical office, you are able to meet expectations, you understand what has to be done, and you communicate effectively…then you have developed a skill and quality of creating the office in your mind. Kudos, you will continue to do well.

Business Woman to Business Wife

Would you change your career for your partner? Or stop working completely? This was a recent topic of discussion among my friends and I; single, married, and engaged.

My simple answer is, Yes.

Yes, I would consider changing the direction of my career, but if I end my career for him, I am not going to stop working. I am either going to take on business projects with him or I am going to find a hobby that brings me income.

Some of you who know me may be thinking this goes against everything I stand for: Independence, Working Women, Women in Business, etc. No, no, no…I am still very much advocate for those things, but when you are in a partnership, a commitment with someone, you lay out all your thoughts and plans in which the two of you want to follow through with. If believe in my partner and he can afford to carry both of us, plus our family, and there are factors in our relationship that I can cater to better, then yes, I will change my direction, but he will also need to understand that I will still remain lucrative. If I am choosing to give up a my salary, the salary that has allowed me to cover my financial responsibilities and grants me to do all the things I enjoy doing, there is going to be a reasonable compromise, whatever that may look like for us.

Many single women have learned to maintain themselves without Prince Charming (by the way, most of us prefer the Prince who thinks he’s a Frog over the Frog who thinks he’s a Prince. Let that sink in for a bit), so it may be hard for some of us to make adjustments. We have conditioned ourselves to obtain the necessities without the man, so Why would I want to share my closet space? Don’t lose hope fellas, be patient with us, for not all of us are lost into the black hole of estrogen dominance…Just build her a bigger closet.

In another posting, I mentioned the different standards with men and women and the stigma that surrounds their responsibilities. The men provide, the women comfort. And really, women are a bit tougher, yeah we may be more emotional and most times we aren't making much sense, but of the two sexes, we were granted to ability to bare children and withstand the many levels of struggles and triumphs life can throw at us which includes, knowing when and how to coddle a man who wants to be comforted more than he is willing to admit.

In a 2013 survey, 43% of women quit their jobs after marriage because they now have a new role, new responsibilities. I do not fault women who chose to do this. I know plenty of couples who have been successful with separating roles. For some duos, it is beneficial for the marriage for the wife to be home, the kids do not have to be in daycare and are better attended to, the wife manages the home and activity schedules, possibly helps organize the finances, etc. You take on those stairs, I’ll take on these, and we’ll meet at the top. And there there are relationships where the roles are conjoined, We both look over the finances, we both tackle the issues, we both maintain our home, we both work on projects together, etc.

There are plenty of things wives can do to 1. Support their Husbands, 2. Stay Lucrative, and 3. Maintain Knowledge of Business Practices. Here is a take from a divorcee who says, "Married Ladies: Don't Quit Your Day Job." Although, how you chose to keep stability in your married life is a personal and private discussion with your spouse. What may work for you may not work for others.

Working women have acquired several useful business skills in their careers that can be helpful to her husband, her marriage, her family, because with most of us, the definition of a wife is not someone who only cooks, cleans, and raises the children; the definition is being a Partner which means that we discuss big decisions that may change the dynamics of our lives and we come to an agreement that we are both comfortable with.

The same concepts in business will still apply with our relationship: Why? Because it is a Partnership.

• We do not discuss problems outside of our partnership unless it is an unbiased source (There may be some exceptions depending the seriousness of the issue and who we are sharing our personal business with.)

• We do not speak ill of one another to other people (I once read something that said, “The weakest thing a man can do is talk badly about his woman to others.” And of course it works the same way with women.)

• We take the time to talk to one another about changes in plans or goals (If we have to “call a meeting” with each other, then so be it. We both need to understand each other to be a benefit to one other.)

• We do not make final or permanent decisions without the other

• If we are continuously at odds and cannot seem to meet in the middle, then we need to consider dissolving the relationship without any added stress

When you allow someone into your life, change will happen; work together towards the best. You don't let something go that you already know is great to see about a different possibility. You make what's great even greater. (Read that again, some of you missed it.)

For those of you ladies who are married or soon to be married and there are talks of you leaving your employer, here are some tips and advice to consider:

• Give your boss at least 2-4 weeks notice depending on the depth of your position and how long it may take to train a replacement.

• Be honest about why you are leaving. You want to focus on your marriage and family. Maybe your spouse has a more lucrative offer in another city or state. (A friend of mine is soon to be married and her fiance has an offer to an elevated position in another city a few hours away, I told her, "Honey, you better put in your notice and let your husband be great so you can be great together!")

• See if there is a possibility of you to work part time or as a consultant, especially is your role requires a lot of skill that may take more than 4 weeks to train someone new. Plus, you never know, consulting may be something you can take on to stay in the business loop.

Here is a article that has a sample: How To Resign From Your Job Due to Marriage

Sidebar: For me to make compromises he will need to be spectacular and do the unexpected. For instance, if you tell me you are stopping at the store and want to know if I want anything and I say No, get me a candy bar. Twix. Spectacular does not have to be extravagant. Although, surprising me with a weekend getaway would be nice too. Balance.

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Raya Laephuang

Writer | Photographer | Intrigued with Human Behavior

“I read the world around me.”