What do you like most about working remotely?
I love that it affords me the flexibility to blend my private and professional lives in a way that I can keep a healthy balance, and still deliver for LEXR. For example, remote working creates the ability to travel and see new places or visit family, even when not on holiday.
The freedom to enjoy the amazing places I’m at on days where I’m working just means that it feels like holiday even when working; this definitely pumps motivation and performance.
Tell us about one of your workation trips – where did you go, and how was the work/vacation split?
Last Christmas, I travelled to Canada to see my family on holiday. On the day I was due to fly back to Switzerland, I tested positive for COVID at the airport. As I was asymptomatic and based on local law, no isolation was imposed on me, but I had to stay in Montreal for ten additional days. This resulted in an unplanned workation which, thanks to the flexibility we have at LEXR, was no problem at all. Better yet, I discovered that working with a 6-hour time difference with most of your clients and colleagues is very interesting:
- Given the time difference, Switzerland was sleeping during a big part of my work day. This allowed me to have large portions of the day where I could focus on being productive with no distraction, but also a portion of the day where I could easily sync with colleagues and clients.
- I shifted my day to a slightly earlier local time than I would typically work, which allowed me to be able to enjoy some free time in Montreal during the afternoons.
Are you as efficient / more efficient working remotely and how do you stay focused?
I personally don’t perform well in controlled and overly silent environments: buzzing atmospheres surprisingly increase my productivity. Working from a lounger on a beach, or from a mountain hut is therefore a dream.
What are your must-haves for remote work?
A powerful laptop with a good battery, an additional travel screen, a noise-cancelling headset and a solid data-roaming plan.
Aside from your Canada trip, did you ever face any challenges or complications during your workations – if so, what were they and how did you resolve them?
I often enjoy the possibility to work on the day of travel to my workation location. Of course the flip side is that there can be delays when travelling, slow connections etc. I always managed to solve these problems by communicating about them and suggesting solutions. People are surprisingly understanding and curious about the way we work.
When planning workations, these issues can also be worked around proactively by planning the schedule accordingly. For example, I avoid calls on days where I travel and keep those to work and “get things done” in my bubble.
What destinations are on your remote work bucket list?
Having many close relatives abroad, any place with my family is definitely on the list. Otherwise, any place on earth with mountains. 😊