I first heard about working remotely from Richard Branson many years ago when he mentioned that a certain percentage of the employees in his company were already working from their homes and did not need to show up in their offices unless it was necessary. "How cool is that!" I thought. He shared that there were no issues so far in their productivity. He further talked about his belief that more companies will adopt that kind of arrangement in the future.
A few years later, I resigned from my full-time job abroad but the company I worked with didn't want to cut ties with me and it offered an arrangement that could be done even when I was in my home country. I liked it, why not? No more commuting to the office, I can work on flexible times and even when I'm in my pajamas!
I could say that was my first experience working remotely for a company. I remember some people raised an eyebrow when they learned what I was doing then. Can't blame them, of course. The concept was new to them.
But the truth is working remotely or the work-from-home (WFH) lifestyle, if I can call it such, wasn't new. It started when personal computers and the internet came around. It was already happening even before we first heard or learned about it, although it wasn't that widespread, hence not many are aware of its existence.
When I returned to office work for just over a year in 2015, some of my colleagues (especially those who have kids) were allowed to work some days at home, and a few days at the office. It was a nice arrangement, I must say, and brought me back to what Branson mentioned many years back.
Then came the pandemic which forced many companies and working individuals to adjust and adapt to the challenging situations. That accelerated the growth of remote workers and I think that was when the number exploded. I believe many discovered other earning opportunities online.
And while some companies have already adopted that kind of work arrangement, others gradually required their workers to go back to their offices or cubicles when the pandemic restrictions were lifted. Not a very smart move? I think not entirely, it depends on company situations, circumstances of the employees, tasks, and/or positions involved.
With rapidly evolving technology and innovation, it might be a matter of time and many of the company offices will no longer be necessary.
There was a time in the past 10-15 years) when the "laptop lifestyle" became a craze and many so-called "digital nomads" were sharing their experiences, showing that they are traveling the world, frolicking at the beach or wherever, and still getting paid for what they do.
Well, that noise may have died down but the digital lifestyle is still going strong these days. There are various income-generating mediums online - from freelance writing to digital marketing, online consulting and coaching, web designing, programming, translation and virtual assistant services, online tutoring, content creation (blogging or vlogging), and what have you. Hell, we can even monetize our social media activities for years already!
Technology has certainly opened up many opportunities and 'work-from-anywhere' gigs for people, which might still amaze some but is already a norm for many. In this digital era, it may have become a lifestyle to generate income online, not to mention trading cryptocurrencies which I believe some many here are already doing and making enough money to pay their bills.
As long as one has a computer or even a mobile phone and internet connectivity, one can do things that can earn him dollars. Playing games can put food on the table these days, and the income is even better than the minimum wage in some countries.
With thousands of people losing their jobs almost everywhere, the online world might as well be one of their best options. The opportunity is enormous, and with the advent of AI and what else may come, who knows what other things we can do or benefit from in the sooniverse.
[Photo credits: RDNE Stock project / Katrin Bolovtsova / Amar Preciado / Mikhail Nilov]
Photos are sourced as acknowledged above. No copyright infringement intended. 21032024/20:20ph
