Top of the Gratitude List

Being a member of the digital workforce

For a decade, digital technology has made it possible for me to work from home, make millions of dollars (not for me unfortunately, but for my employers!), raise my kids and try (try…) to achieve some semblance of life balance. 

As a newly single mom chasing small kids, a traditional 9-5 job with a commute was inaccessible to me. Working from home gave me the flexibility I needed to do simple things (like pick up kids from school and feed them) - without any doubt that my colleagues and bosses were still getting a top-notch employee. 

I worked many more hours than I’d ever worked when I schlepped in and out of the office - now my office was anywhere I could access the internet. There are a lot of downsides to that as well (again, more in future posts) but the upside was tremendous - I could remain happily employed, raise my kids, kill it at work and keep moving ahead. I could also shop, pay bills, book appointments, keep up with friends and family, take online classes and generally make my world a little more manageable. 

When the pandemic hit, work-from-home became the norm for millions of people who had never experienced it. While some prefer an office environment, many saw the advantages - ranging from schedule flexibility for individuals, to a huge savings in travel budgets for corporations. In a post-pandemic world, hopefully the flexibility will remain - I believe that the most forward-thinking and employee-centric companies will continue to lean into remote working.