Working Remotely Provides Employees Transformative Agency and Flexibility

The work-from-home (WFH) trend born out of necessity due to the global Covid-19 pandemic is likely here to stay, at least in some fashion, but its implications are far greater than simply reducing commutes, converting kitchen tables to dynamic workspaces, and eliminating water cooler conversations.

Beyond these functional changes will emerge something much more profound: an evolving working model for modern employees, one that lends itself to enhanced agency, opportunity to pursue simultaneous paths, a more diverse and fluid "career", and an economy where you can absolutely hustle – but at your own pace. Here are a few ways WFH has the potential to be a disruptive lifestyle, not just a 9-5 amenity.

People Can Love How They Work, Not Just What They Do

"Love what you do and you'll never work a day in your life" isn't an impossible reality, but it is idyllic. And it's not exactly something that is feasible or that you can easily control. When it comes to earning a paycheck, sometimes the work isn't always going to be rosy due to a myriad of factors. And there's compelling psychology in which earning income in a field you're passionate about can ironically dilute that passion. Sometimes, what you love provides better utility as an escape or outlet than trying to morph it into an occupation, even if it's lucrative.

So how can you control the way in which you work? WFH should enable people to at the very least establish a comfortable work-life balance, but more than that, they should be able to script what their working environment looks like and what kind of work is accessible to them as well.

Remote working is an inflection point to upending the entire paradigm.

By reducing the tether to the office, the possibility of working multiple jobs at once – intersecting with multiple passions – becomes much more realistic. You might love crunching numbers, but may also really enjoy writing. The ability to do both, for two different companies, from your own workspace (wherever that may be) is how freedom truly enters the working model. That's why going remote is way more transformative than simply being able to work from your bed.

You Don't Have To Pick A Lane When The Road Is Remote

Career routes may seem black and white: either climb the corporate ladder or chart your own course, but in reality these diverting rivers flow into a much larger ocean. Gaining professional experience with a big-time company is great, so is launching your own. Forgoing corporate stability to open up time to play music or travel or to further your education is just as legitimate.

But unfortunately not everyone's road is as open. Student loans, supporting children, dealing with physical or mental health issues, and geographic location are all going to try to force you into a lane as best they can – but that's where demolishing the restrictive walls of an office can revolutionize life in unimaginable ways.

Take this hypothetical for example:

Your dream job is with Company X and you're more than qualified, but their HQ is in the Bay Area. Student loans price you out even with an adjusted salary. Plus, your family is out East. What if your workspace could be in an affordable city close to your family?

If Work Exists In The Cloud, Your Head Never Has To Be

You may want to raise children and work simultaneously. Childcare is expensive. How will you get back in time to pick them up from school or drive them to baseball practice if your job is downtown? What if one of them gets sick for the day? Or you miss their dance recital because you have to fly out to meet a client? These are pre-21st Century issues, yet we pretend there's no solution. The technology and appetite is here; it's simply time to adopt it.

Nothing Is More Accommodating Than Your Own Workspace

Maybe your depression or anxiety is cropping up again. Your broken ankle might make it difficult to commute. You may feel claustrophobic or be inherently introverted, and don't care much for happy hours or extra-curricular social interactions. Maybe you have a dental appointment midday or are simply feeling under the weather. A combination of all of the above could exist. Rather than create a headache for yourself, your manager, or your company, no accommodation will ever be better than the comfort of your own workspace.

You Don't Need An Office To Be Part Of A Culture

Countless companies these days list culture ​as one of their top selling points. It's sold as a perk, and in the worst instances, is ultimately a mechanism to mask the lack of actual perks – like solid healthcare, 401K matching, paid vacation days, or equity.

There's credence to culture though. A strong one can provide camaraderie and serve as an incubator for the sharing and generation of ideas. Freelancers or independent entrepreneurs can often be starved for this environment, along with teams that operate remote or in satellite offices.

BedSideHustle offers a culture that is both vibrant and flexible. It's as simple as putting one of our stickers on your laptop, an acrylic desk piece on your counter, or wearing one of our shirts.

You're suddenly part of a collective group of people – the work-from-home, work-from-anywhere generation – but with the freedom to add your own spin. There's no firm system of opting-in or out. It can be as abstract or as formal as you'd like.

In this blue ocean environment of dispersing from the office, we're truly only at the tip of the proverbial iceberg. But not all icebergs lead to the Titanic, even if they do lead to titanic change. We want to be an accessible resource for employees, businesses, "side hustle" entrepreneurs, and flex-work freelancers as they navigate these new waters.

Working remotely on a full-time or hybrid basis could become a watershed solution for people who feel their existing day-to-day model isn't exactly remotely working.

Portions of this article have been reproduced as a static page at bedsidehustle.com called “The BedSideHustle Blueprint: Notes For Your Nightstand Journal”

About BedSideHustle

BedSideHustle is a lifestyle brand, e-commerce store, and content hub empowering people to work remotely. Based out of a converted bedroom in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, we're an early-stage company committed to elevating remote workers across the globe. We offer a curated collection of boutique work products, focusing on human factors and ergonomics to deliver a suite of our own lifestyle brand accessories, as well as efficient and comfortable pieces aimed at enhancing one's workspace experience. We're a brand woven from values of accessibility, entrepreneurship, creativity, and agency – especially when it comes to how and where we work.