5 Must-Read Articles on Remote Work’s Impact Outside of Business
Mission-critical brain food
Remote work is a career shift that impacts the rest of our lives profoundly. For centuries, labour was tied to location - you had to live near the field, factory, or office tower. Suddenly, that’s not the case anymore. It opens up massive opportunities for mobility, such as the Slow Nomad movement, but also has deep potential changes in other areas of our lives.
This week, I was thinking a lot about those other changes. It’s not just about our ability to work from home (or a cafe, or a coworking space, or an office if we’d like), but instead what the ability to work from anywhere does for us. When work is focused on outputs, not location, what else changes in our lives?
I have a few ideas, and I’ve written my predictions for remote work’s next decade. I’ve also found other really smart people sharing their opinions. So instead of having you wade through the masses of SEO-optimized remote work content, I’m sharing the 5 articles that really got me thinking this week, not just about remote work but remote life.
1 - Visas are a marketing tactic
I wrote about remote work residency, asking if it will become the new vacation (here). Turns out I might be right. MarketWatch published this article updating the list of countries that will give you a remote worker visa.
Why read it? I found it valuable because of the specifics of each program. You get a glimpse not just into the countries on the list (Georgia, Bermuda, Barbados, etc.) as tourist destinations but also how they market themselves to remote workers - and the kinds of remote workers they are trying to attract.
2 - A relocation frenzy
In May, I talked about how remote work can heal America. How people might be more able to move around, to live where they want to, and how that will change the demographics of the country.
A new study by Upwork found that upwards of 14 million Americans are planning to relocate. While not all are planning to move to different states, many are planning to live more disparately, choosing smaller cities or rural opportunities because, well, they can.
Why read it? I found it interesting because it talks about the kinds of work and types of companies offering permanent remote arrangements. I’ve been tracking major remote announcements for a while now, so it’s interesting to see statistics on this subject.
3 - New to remote? No problem
Avery Francis is a workplace design consultant and put out this guide on how to hire people remotely who have never been remote before.
Why read it? This subject is one that’s critical in our world today, but not often as talked about. It’s not just a matter of having a good onboarding experience, but actually transitioning how someone works on a fundamental level. There are some deeply ingrained mindsets that come with office work - this guide talks about how to easily break them.
4 - If remote, no career?
Young people are worried that remote work could mean the end of mentorship, championship, and “career progression” as we know it.
Link: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201023-can-young-people-thrive-in-a-remote-work-world
Why read it? This kind of shift is critical, in my opinion, for all remote work advocates to understand. Remote work being the fundamental shift that it is requires looking at the dark side of things as astutely as we count our saved office lease dollars. That’s why it’s so critical for hybrid and remote companies to build culture remotely.
5 - Cybersecurity, please
Remote work means security issues. More devices, more networks, and more touchpoints for hackers and other data breaches. We need to talk about that.
Link: https://www.networkworld.com/article/3587335/the-impact-of-remote-work-on-enterprise-security.html
Why read it? The benefits of remote work are the exact same as the cybersecurity risks of remote: work anywhere, use any network, and use any device. These issues have to be handled and addressed seriously if we are going to reach a point where remote work is possible for even more people (or at the very least, secure for the people already remote).
What other articles are you reading? Leave them in the comments!
Love the newsletter! I will settle on Lisbon as my next remote work destination :). This article was missing in your newsletter: https://www.matchr.io/ultimate-guide-to-hiring-remote-talent/