The pace of change and the digital age
We are living in a fast-paced digital age, where whatever we say or do can be swept along lines of networking so fast. We see it so often through word of mouth, good social media posts, funny videos or catchy songs that capture the attention of so many on an international level – they go ‘viral’ – something that happened to me last year.
My thoughts on distance working…
I constructed a post regarding my experiences with distance working, and didn’t put too much thought into this, I just wrote it from the heart. As with many posts that go viral, the intention wasn’t for it to be seen by so many people, yet it received nearly 600 comments, over 3,000 likes, and god knows how many more people read it – it’s fascinating to see what kind of content can capture the imagination of so many people. The content of the post was a mixture of personal and work experiences.
What triggered the post?
The post was based on my wife returning to work for her first day after being on maternity leave. She left the house excited and full of nerves, to find nothing had changed, the train station was packed with dreary-eyed commuters getting their first caffeine hit of the day.
The first train was too full, so came, and went. The second train came and was full again, so it went. Panic set in, the pressure of getting to work on-time, and worrying about a baby just several months old took a hold. My wife panicked, she phoned me all emotional, so I went to pick her up and take her to work in the car. On our way we noticed so many drivers feeling the pressure of the commute, getting totally stressed and frustrated.
My thoughts and opinions conveyed
This incident led me to seriously consider the impact of distance working in this digital age that we are in. Look at the technology available to us now, look around the office. The two key pieces of equipment required by so many of use to undertake our work are a telephone and a computer – these can be easily used remotely and placed in the home.
The point I was trying to put across in my social post was that surely, it’s more beneficial for people to work from home than waste time travelling and getting stressed-out on the daily commute, after all there are only 24 hours in a day.
Let’s get serious about the commute, the time, the environment, the pressure…
No one wants to spend 2 or 3 hours a day, every day, commuting, plus it’s so difficult to get focused once you do reach the office in a morning after a difficult journey.
Let’s look at the bigger picture here, over a year many people spend around 20 days a year travelling, just sitting in the car, or on the train, this time can be so much better spent on being productive, highly productive – this is what I was trying to get across in my social post to capture the imagination and the mind of others, to create a topical and thought provoking debate on the pros and cons of working from home, rather than the office.
Remember!
Your opinions, no matter how big or small, can have a massive impact on those in your network. Never be afraid to share opinion, it shows the ‘real’ you, it establishes shared views, a common ground. Done in the right way an opinion is seen as just one person’s perspective, it’s not fact, it doesn’t force your opinion on others, but gives them food for thought and a platform upon which to put their thoughts forward, some of which can be counterproductive. Brave it, share your viewpoints, engage with those worth engaging with, you never know what the many positive outcomes may be.
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