Marcelo Tas, Mònica Rodríguez, Cecilia Tham on Working Remotely

Three professionals working in communications, entrepreneurship, and business reflect on their 'extreme' experiences of working from home

It was already becoming an ongoing/long-term trend. It’s now become an imperative: the new normal. Remote working was already the standard for many creative professionals, but for others, it has marked a significant change. Studies carried out in countries like Spain, the United States, China, and South Africa have shown that employee productivity can increase by up to 15% just by working from home.

"In the past, the words 'working from home' conjured up images of people lying half-naked on a couch or in a bathtub while tapping away at their laptops. These clichés have been replaced by the truth: people who are able to reconcile their work life and home life, without having to make personal sacrifices, are more productive and happier," says Nicholas Bloom, a researcher and professor at Stanford University in the United States. Nicholas led a macro study on remote working involving employees from companies in China. The study highlighted the benefits of working from home.

Marcelo Tas (@marcelo_tas), Mònica Rodríguez Limia (@rodriguezmon) and Cecilia Tham, professionals working in communications, entrepreneurship and business, tell us about and reflect on their own “extreme” experiences of working from home. Discover more in the video below:

"I have never worked in an office (laughs). A big part of my life is appearing on TV or doing live events in front of an audience made up of a lot of people. That world has been left on another planet", says Marcelo Tas, a famous TV presenter in Brazil, who is also a scriptwriter, television director, and journalist. "It is not an easy time, it demands a lot of humility, because often lots of problems occur with technology. Sometimes, you are in a meeting with someone very important, and the executive director's phone won’t work, or they won’t know how to use Zoom, or you don't know how to use it. It's all a learning experience. It’s also a time for getting to know yourself, a time for tolerance, for different virtues that we too often forget".

Cecilia Tham reflects on the new attitude that companies are having to embrace: yes or yes. "Companies have always been very resistant to the idea of their employees working from home. Now that they have been forced to allow it, their attitude is, 'Wow, they’re even more productive!’ Working from home is no longer 'eight hours means being productive'. It's about happiness and companies trusting their employees.

On the flipside, there’s the challenge the employee or professional faces when it comes to setting limits when working from home. Being in the same space all day long opens the door to working too much. "When you work alone, in a one-person business, it's harder to take breaks. But, of course, it's hard to stop, because you're in your home and you're working long hours," says Mònica Rodríguez Limia. "One thing I've learned during these months of working remotely: a life of working constantly, as much as you might like it, just isn’t fulfilling.”

English version by @eloiseedgington.

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