In the world of Insurance Recruiting we often see candidates who are open to new opportunities if that opportunity “checks all the boxes”. Most commonly, we have been seeing that the figurative boxes that must be checked are the following:
- Opportunity for growth
- Good and current technology
- And the opportunity to work from home with flexible hours
Let’s take a step back to the future, when Marty McFly stepped into 2015, he rode dangerous looking hover-boards, rocked some self-adjusting stylish clothes, and came within one year of correctly predicting the Chicago Cubs’ triumph in the World Series. What Marty didn’t see in his fantastical future were the numberless screens, software, and supercomputers that we now use daily. The technology that exists today has totally changed the world – and it is constantly altering the workplace landscape as well.
The multiple articles, studies, and proponents of the “Work-From-Home Era” are causing this significant increase in the number of people who are seeking opportunities that allow work from home/telecommute.
What you might like
- No commute
- No one cares how you dress unless you’re on a video call
- Less likely to eat out for lunch (money savings)
What your company might like
- Potential to be more productive – fewer inter-office distractions
- Company saves on office space and supplies
- Company is contributing to cutting traffic congestion and pollution
What you might not like
- Distraction (home environment could prove to be more distracting)
- Isolation
- Not intended to allow for childcare and working at the same time
- Employers may monitor your systems more closely, kind of big brother
- Not as much face time with leaders – so can limit recognition and promotion
- Not as much face time with colleagues to build relationships
- Out of touch with company news and information
What your company might not like
- Don’t feel connected to their team
- Less daily personal interaction
- Increases the need to monitor team activities and technology
- Worry that staff will waste time on personal stuff
As often happens, there are some professional consequences to this aspect of work culture that should be considered. Primary among them is the potential limitation to career growth.
Each day I come to the office and I interact with my CEO. In one week from when I’m writing this article, I will start working from home in a different city. Will that interaction continue to exist? Not as frequently. Will I be afforded opportunities to grow in my current company? If I come back to the work-space, there’s a good chance! If growth is a primary objective, I would recommend you revise your expectations on working from home. When in a work-space with teammates and leaders, we provide ourselves with the opportunity that comes each day to make an impression, interact with our leaders, and show the world what we’re made of! Who knows, maybe I’ll be Back to the Office before I know it!
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