Before you book your flight to the sunniest destination for remote work, there are a few things to consider. Go through this comprehensive guide to have a fruitful experience.
A female doing remote work on a beach.
As the world accepts that remote work is here to stay, the question looming over some people is undoubtedly, “Well, do I have to be [insert where you currently live]?”. For many, their job is an important reason for living or staying where they are. So, what happens if that isn’t a factor? Would you endure long winters if you could work from somewhere warm?
Before you book your flight to the sunniest destination you can think of, there are a few things to consider:
Will Your Company Allow Remote Work?
While some businesses have pivoted to 100% remote work, others have a hybrid model or expect employees to return to the office eventually. And with that, every business and/or manager has a different set of rules around remote work. Before making any plans, discuss your idea with your manager and see what their response is. If your preferred destination is in the same time zone and you won’t be there for a lengthy period, they might tell you to go for it. Whereas others may not want to set the precedent that employees can work from anywhere.
If you want to have the conversation with your manager, go in with a concrete idea of how things would work and the answers to questions like:
What hours will you work?
How long will you be gone?
Where are you going?
Why do you want to go there and do remote work?
Essentially go in with a plan to put them at ease and ensure them that your work output will not change, just your locale.
Will You Be Able to Be Productive?
Depending on your work style, you might need a quiet, dedicated environment to work in, whereas others are used to working from open offices or noisier spaces. When considering if you could work from somewhere besides your current home setup, productivity is a big factor.
Say you want to go to a beach town because the sand and sun sound far better than snow and clouds. Well, remember that working hours are also prime beach hours, so will you be too tempted by the surf to complete your tasks? Be honest with yourself here. Instead of a remote work getaway, you might just want to take a few vacation days instead.
Is It Safe?
The ever-present question these days: Is what I want to do safe for me and for others? The answer here is more nuanced and personal. However, consider what the rules and restrictions are like where you are and where you want to go. That should give you a good idea of how feasible working from there for a while would be. Also, consider the distance and modes of transportation needed to both get there, and while you’re there.
While there are potential hurdles to scale in order to make this work, remote work does give you more freedom than your typical desk job. So, if you want to take advantage of it while you can, pose these questions to yourself to help you decide what makes sense for you.
