Remote work is in our DNA, part 3

A Voices of Parsec post

Wherever you go, there you work

For the past few months, we’ve been sharing perspectives on remote work by the awesome people who make Parsec. (Check out our first and second posts–I’ll wait). We’ve got one last hot take on this subject coming your way, and it starts right now.

“Remote work” has become synonymous with “work from home,” but it really means work from anywhere. Grandma’s house? Sure. Cruise ship? Okay. Outer space? No–terrible internet. These Parsec employees share their adventures in remote work, including what it’s like working with a team internationally and how YOU can spice up your remote workplace by taking your laptop to go.

Zoe Georgouses, Senior Campaign Manager @ Parsec, on working from Greece

Since March of 2020, like so many of us I have been working remotely. Pre-pandemic, I had never given much thought to remote work but I’ve enjoyed it so much, I don’t see myself going back into an office ever again. Besides some of the obvious benefits like not having a commute time, the best aspect of working remotely is…the freedom to work from anywhere.

For the past 10 days, I’ve been working from Athens, Greece. Exploring the city by day and working my normal CDT hours (5pm-1am eastern europe time) at night. While this may sound extremely tiresome, it was a relatively easy switch.

My biggest challenge? Those 12am meetings. Oof.

The biggest benefit – being able to spend time exploring a new place while still staying connected to work.

My best tip for remote work is to establish a routine. Just like at home, this was key in working in a different country. I would start my work day around 4:30pm with a walk and a cup of coffee, review notes from the day before and check any Slack messages.

Sheila Wong, Senior Product Marketing Manager @ SyncSketch, is a coworker without borders

As a Canadian, I never imagined it would be so easy to work from home for a US-based company without having to jump through the hoops of moving to the States or getting a work visa. I love how remote work has opened up opportunities to grow your career from anywhere without having to compromise on staying close to friends and family or spending the same public holidays off. I get to walk my dog mid-day, stay connected to the team when I’m at a trade show, and take meetings from the park on a nice day. There’s no commute time, no roadblocks to team collaboration, and no reason not to travel and work from another country.

It’s incredible how much the world has changed in a couple of years and I think it’s important to recognize there are still lots of people who don’t have the flexibility to work from home or remotely. Being able to do so makes me feel extremely grateful.

Max Morris, on how he changes up his workspace to keep things fresh

As someone who has worked remotely since finishing high school, I’ve had my fair share of ups, downs, burnouts, resurgences, and more. Before I get too ahead of myself, let me at least make one thing clear—I LOVE what I do and am in NO WAY attempting to make anybody think twice about remote life—there’s just another side of the coin that doesn’t get enough coverage.

Personally, I’m someone who craves human interaction, and depending on what your job entails, you may not get much, or might not get the kind you’re searching for. I felt like I was on my own island at times. Nobody to talk to, nobody to work on projects with, nobody to share laughs with, the list goes on. Three years in, I got a second job running a local electronics department solely because I missed people. I’ve also struggled with work/life balance over the years, thinking I needed to be on my computer constantly and be available at any given moment. Mix that with the lack of face-to-face communication and you get (you guessed it)… lots of stress.

There was a big adjustment period before I truly settled into the lifestyle. Though it comes with cons like almost everything else, the pros heavily outweigh them. And at the end of the day, not only is this lifestyle here to stay, I truly wouldn’t change a thing. Now I combat those personal work-from-home gripes by making home feel less like work, and work feel less like home.

One of my favorite things to do is change my environment. I love filling up a backpack and heading to a local coffee shop. A lot of my friends in town manage restaurants, so I’ll sometimes visit them and get all my work done, eat, and then hang out for a bit as soon as the laptop shuts.

Another close friend of mine shoots and edits music videos, so we’ll meet up places and body double each other until all our tasks are complete. There’s even multiple jets and ferries in my city that instantly get you to nearby islands. I’ll occasionally take advantage, enjoy a relaxing boat ride, then set up shop at a pool, and get to being productive.

There’s been a couple of instances where I’ve gotten a hotel on the islands for a few days just for some new scenery. It’s kinda like being on vacation without actually taking a vacation! I encourage everyone to explore options that make the most out of remote life.