🗑️ Is remote work a trash term? | Ep18 OoO

👴 Remote work: Mildly better than telecommuting

🎭 Plot twist: A term by any other name

Hey! Welcome Back -

I thought I’d keep things light this week by reintroducing a topic I’d love your feedback on. After all that Christmas food, light is definitely on the menu!

So, this week I’m going to talk about how much remote work sucks. No, not the movement – the name. Can we all agree that this term needs an upgrade?

Here’s the thing –

Jack Nilles: Bad Names for Good Times

Remote work is a trash name for a treasure-trove of improvements in the working world. The only term worse than this is ‘telecommuting’ which sounds like something your grandpa would have used during the dial-up internet era.

Telecommuting was the original term coined by Nasa super-brain turned futurist, Jack Nilles in 1973.

☄️ He defined it as:

“the substitution of telecommunications and/or computers for commuting work”

The term makes him the founding father of remote work – thank you Jack! Since the 70’s it’s evolved to become a series of increasingly interesting and abominable names.

🤔 When you hear the word remote: what do you think of?

For me, it’s a tiny, isolated house in the middle of nowhere. Maybe once upon a time this is how people imagined remote workers -disconnected from the world.

But here’s the truth. Remote work isn’t remote.

It’s less isolating than it’s ever been!

Sure, you won’t spend as much time at the office. But unless you’re a wizard or a Yeti – you’re far more likely to find yourself in a lush co-working spot, or a personalized home-office - than in a tiny house in the boonies.

Plot Twist: Remote is More Social Than the Office

The reality is that big companies don’t want you to realize the truth.

That remote workers get to be far more social than office workers do. It’s the old switcheroo, and everyone should know it.

The time you save commuting can be reinvested in:

👨‍👩‍👶‍👦 Closer family dynamics

😎 Seeing your friends more often

🙌 Being a genuine part of your local community (not just on weekends!)

Don’t take my word for it.

Since the pandemic began there have been dozens of studies on the positive effects of people leaving the big cities and relocating to smaller towns.

😊 People are happier (do great work without missing out on family time)

📊 Small businesses are thriving

🏞️ Small towns are getting an economic boost

Everyone has benefitted except corporate real estate.

Thanks to technology, we’ve learned that working in a different room from your co-workers doesn’t have to be an isolating experience.

The right word isn’t remote. We need to find one that fits better.

🔗

The first one that comes to mind is ‘connected work’ because even though you’re still plugged in at work, you’re MORE connected to the things that matter.

Can you think of a better name for remote work? Get creative!

And remember, the future of work is Out of Office.

Andrew

This Week’s Shareable

• Are ‘remote work’ and ‘telecommuting’ really the best that we can do? With so much evidence proving that remote working is MORE social - we need a fresh name. Read more on OOO this week.

Go ahead and share this handy infographic on remote work terms.

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