Are dedicated remote employees just as or more effective than in-office team members?
A few years ago, Flywire’s Emily Watson, senior director of payments and global banking, decided she wanted to find out. Watson said testing out this hypothesis was one of the reasons she decided to accept a remote position, aside from the added benefits of avoiding NYC rush hour and being able to remain in New York rather than move to Boston.
As it turns out, Watson was ahead of her time.
Three in five U.S. employees who have been working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic would prefer to continue to work remotely as much as possible once public health restrictions are lifted, according to a recent Gallup poll.
To stay productive and in touch with colleagues across the vertical payments company, Watson clears her mind with a walk to start each day and sets up quick, informal, virtual meetings with teammates throughout the week.
How long have you worked remotely and what drew you to this type of role?
I have been working remotely full time for one and a half years now. I was initially drawn to this remote opportunity for two reasons (aside from my love of Flywire and unwillingness to move).
First, I believe that time is your most valuable resource. Working from home saves me two hours per day that I would normally lose to my commute. It also provides the added emotional benefit of avoiding NYC rush hour.
Second, I wanted to test my hypothesis that any dedicated remote employee can be just as, if not more, effective than a full-time office employee. You can regain more control over your time. Discussions tend to be more productive when people must thoughtfully request your time.
Working from home saves me two hours per day that I would normally lose to my commute.’’
What’s the one thing you do every day that has the biggest positive impact on your work as a remote employee?
Every morning pre-COVID, I used to listen to a podcast and take a 20-minute round-trip walk to grab my coffee. I like to start my day this way: getting outside, focusing on something besides work and moving my body. When you work from home, you have to try extra hard to create some distance between yourself and your work.
I prefer to do this by creating a physical separation between myself and my workstation to start the day. In the COVID-19-world, I omit the coffee bit and instead take a nice long stroll around the block a few times. No matter what, I still try to get outside for at least 20 minutes to start my day.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about remote work throughout your experiences and why?
Remote work can be tough if you are a social person. I enjoy watercooler talk and getting to know my colleagues. But you don’t have to miss out on that just because you work from home. Set up some dedicated time (15 to 30 minutes) to catch up with colleagues and discuss non-work stuff. I think you may find that when you intentionally connect with people, you could learn even more about them and their role in the business than you might by sitting next to them every day.
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