Return-to-office (RTO) mandates are killing employee engagement. One of the consequences is financial losses.
According to a recent survey by McKinsey, public mid-size companies risks losing around $300 USD million each year due to low engagement. Yikes.
The survey also grouped employees into 6 categories on the disengagement spectrum:
In the beginning, employees were in the office 5 days a week, usually from 9am to 5pm.
Then a few years ago, everyone was forced to change that habit and work remotely for a couple of years. Surprisingly, employees were either just as effective or even more effective at home.… Read the rest
Weeks before my last trip across the ocean, my Dell laptop stopped recognizing it was plugged in. The power cable itself worked, but the laptop just didn’t see it. So the battery slowly drained until 0% and there was nothing I could do to stop it.… Read the rest
It feels like new digital nomad visas are popping up every month. One month it’s Portugal, the next it’s Spain, and tomorrow it’s South Africa.
To help you keep track of which countries offer these visas, there are several websites available.… Read the rest
Amid the many organizations forcing workers to return to the office full-time, there are some that are strongly advocating for remote work forever.
GitLab is one of the latter, and they published an in-depth article explaining exactly how they manage remote workers.… Read the rest
There’s a popular song from the 1908’s called “Working for the Weekend”. It’s by Lover Boy, a Canadian rock band with lots of cowbells. One of the lyrics of the chorus is, “Everybody’s working for the weekend”.
Well, it turns out, 40 years later, everybody’s actually working ON the weekend.… Read the rest
I recently read yet another article talking about the impacts of working remotely or hybrid. The summary of this article is: We need to change the way people are managed.
Breaking this down, there are three key points.
1. People are stressed, regardless of where they are physically located.… Read the rest
As it turns out, shifting from a full work-at-home schedule to a full work-from-work schedule isn’t good for us on many levels. Here’s another to add to the list.
As you may know, our brain is a highly adaptable organ. It is constantly changing at a physical level, a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity.… Read the rest
As I travel from city to city as a digital nomad, I find a checklist helps me pack and track what items I use and need. If I find I’m missing something on a particular trip, I add it to the list for the next time.… Read the rest
Despite all the news about organizations forcing their employees to return to the office, remote working isn’t going away. As such, executives are starting to realize they need to support a hybrid or fully remote staff.
One of the key ways to do that is to build a strong work culture.… Read the rest
Did you know there are currently 58 countries that offer some kind of digital nomad visa?
The number keeps growing every year, and some visas are harder to obtain than others. So which ones are the easiest, cheapest and fastest to receive, in places you would actually want to go?… Read the rest
According to a recent report by Future Forum, workers with a flexible schedule are 29% more productive and 53% more focused than those without. Flexible schedule means the ability to choose to work partly or completely remotely.
Yet executives are still stubbornly forcing employees to return to the office full-time.… Read the rest
Here’s a story of a particularly close friend. Stefan is Canadian born, and holds both a Canadian and Polish passport. Anna is Polish born, and only has a Polish passport. I may have changed their names for this email.
A few years ago, when Stefan’s father grew ill while living in Canada, Stefan and Anna decided to uproot their lives in Poland and move their 4 children to Canada.… Read the rest
An interesting article that crossed my path today was about remote job stacking.
As the story unfolds, a 48-year-old from Texas started working as a network engineer at company A. In this full-time position, he made $117,500 a year and worked on-site.… Read the rest
Remote working became significantly more popular over the last several years. As a result, the hospitality industry took notice and started to adapt. They are attempting to attract people who travel for both business and pleasure. This mix, labelled “bleisure”, is a fast-growing buzzword.… Read the rest
Until recently, employees that were permitted to work from home could pretty much choose where they wanted to work and for how long. Sometimes that meant actually working from home, and sometimes that meant remotely. Sadly, there are recent trends that suggest companies are starting to crack down on this freedom of choice.… Read the rest
OK, I’ll admit it. Not every single aspect of being a digital nomad is like unicorns and rainbows. There are some minor downsides to this lifestyle.
Here are a few challenges you may have along the way.
1. Romantic Relationships
If you have a life partner and they are not able to join you on these adventures, well, that sucks.… Read the rest
Have you ever imagined doing client work while relaxing on a recliner on a sandy beach?
This fantasy doesn’t need to stay in your head. I’ve done it, and it’s … wonderful. Just make sure the sand stays away from your laptop and your mobile is fully charged to provide a Wi-Fi hotspot for a long time 🙂
With those rules in mind, the next step is to pick the best coastal city.… Read the rest
Here’s what my schedule looks like while in Spain. Please keep in mind most of my clients are in the eastern part of Canada and the US. The time zone difference is 6 hours.
Sometime between 8:00 and 10:00 Wake up.… Read the rest
“Know thyself” is an Ancient Greek aphorism.
When you know yourself, you also increase your confidence, accept your weaknesses, and generally strive to be a better human being.
It’s a wonderful goal for sure. And as luck would have it, one way to achieve this goal is to be a digital nomad.… Read the rest
I attended the Salesforce World Tour in NYC today, which was awesome, and I’ll write about that soon. But today is Friday, which usually focuses on remote working/being a digital nomad. So let’s talk about NYC itself.
Living in Montreal, Canada provides me easy access to this city.… Read the rest
Making the decision to be a digital nomad is a big step. It involves re-evaluating your current working situation and lifestyle, and then determining you want a change.
Usually this change doesn’t just impact you. Often there’s a partner to consider, perhaps children, and even extended family members.… Read the rest
Sorry for the late email today. Two days I moved back to Canada and I’m still fighting jet lag.
As some of you know, I spent summers in Canada and winters in Spain, about six months in each spot. Since there is a six hour difference in time, I’ve learned a couple of tricks to help with the transition.… Read the rest
One of the most important observations I made during my many travels is often downplayed.
In the media, there’s a focus on our differences and they are often exaggerated. It doesn’t matter if they talk about people from different continents, countries, regions, states or even cities.… Read the rest
Several months ago, there was a wave of articles talking about “stealth workers”. These are individuals who pretend to be working from home, when in fact they are remote.
Tactics they employ include:
One of the reasons why I love being a digital nomad is the opportunity to embrace minimalism.
Several years ago, I trekked around the world for 1.5 years with just two backpacks; a 65L for clothing and a 25L for tech.… Read the rest
One common objection I hear about trying to be a digital nomad is kids.
Kids make things messier when traveling. They require significant time and attention, their basic needs must be met, and then there’s school.
Obviously the best time to be a digital nomad with kids is when they are young enough to not go to school.… Read the rest
In the 50th episode of my podcast, the appointed host asked me, “What are the rules for being a digital nomad?”
My response was, there aren’t any rules.
Whether you spend time in a “van down by the river” (a reference to a skit by the late Chris Farley on SNL), or half the year in the south of Spain, makes no difference.… Read the rest
Humans are creatures of habit. We like routine because it provides us a sense of predictability and security. It also allows us to make certain plans that don’t change on a whim.
One of the many reasons I became a digital nomad is to avoid the larger and monotonous routines.… Read the rest
Last month, Spain made its digital nomad visa available to residents of not-EU countries. The requirements are low and the benefits are high, making this an absolutely awful offer.
The main requirements are:
OK, that’s not too bad.… Read the rest