Remote Working in the Triangle: July Newsletter π»
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Happy July, co-remote workers of the Triangle! While the Triangle has enviable weather most months of the year, July is unfortunately not among them. So I hope you're finding some time to fully exploit your remote status to explore cooler pastures...or at least some pastures near cool bodies of water. If so, you might be experiencing the latest workplace concept to gain its own special name. First there was "quiet quitting," followed by "quiet firing." Now, there's "quiet vacationing," referring to when remote workers quietly pack up and work from some exotic locale without telling their boss or using PTO. Of course, for enlightened managers, there shouldn't be any need to hide a good old fashioned "workation" as long as you're getting your work done. As I've written here many times, there are actually real benefits to working on the road in the form of lowering stress and boosting creativity. But of course, not all managers are not so enlightened, and with the "Great Resignation" drifting further in the rearview mirror and the labor market advantage starting to tip back toward employers, many managers are reasserting their power in the form of return-to-office mandates, and yes, cracking down on "quiet vacationing." I've been very fortunate in my job to have managers that give me autonomy to do my work how I best see fit and have been supportive of me taking my work on the road. But if that weren't the case, I imagine I'd be of the "ask forgiveness, not permission" camp. If there's no explicit policy against it, why not just go for it and see what happens? But even though my direct superiors have no problem with me workationing, I realize there's still a stigma about it with some folks, who assume I must be goofing off or only being 70% productive. So to sidestep these judgements, I've begun getting in the habit of always using the 'blur background' function on Zoom or Teams during meetings, even when at home. That way, my background never changes, even while on the road, and these questions never need be raised. But, if it were ever to become an issue, my strategy would be to put my interrogator on the defensive. Ask "Why is there a problem with working somewhere beside home?" "Why do you want me to be cooped up in the same room for the entirety of my working life and lose opportunities to mitigate stress?" "Are there any metrics you can show me indicating that I've lost productivity while working away from home?" Of course, results may vary, but to me, this is one of the key perks of working remotely, and I wouldn't give it up without a fight. What we're up toSpeaking of working on the road, our big activity since our last newsletter was our co-working retreat to Asheville, North Carolina. This was our third such retreat and we're still nailing down best practices, but it was once again a great time with great, highly motivated remote professionals as we worked together by day, partied by night and enjoyed some lovely river tubing on the weekend. This trip was especially nice, as it was our first meetup with a sister chapter in our new United Digital Nomads initiative. We shared drinks and swapped notes with AVL Digital Nomads -- a very impressive local Asheville group of remote workers and digital nomads much like ours. It was a learning experience in many aspects, and I'm hoping our group can emulate some of the approaches they've taken. I was especially impressed by their mission statement, which drives the sorts of activities and principles they hold: "Helping remote workers thrive by fostering connection, facilitating collaboration, and generating local community impact." At our organization, I think we've done pretty well at that first aim -- through our daytime co-working events and evening socials, we've brought remote workers together who might otherwise be fairly isolated from spending most of their waking life at home. But I'm hoping we can branch out and help empower you both socially and professionally, and have a bigger impact on the community we work in. To that end, we need a few things I'm hoping you all can help with:
Our upcoming eventsReminder that these are only the events already confirmed, and they are subject to change. We often post new events less than a week ahead of time, so be sure to follow us on Meetup to stay up on them as they're posted or adjusted. If you're interested in becoming an event host or joining our leadership team in another context, please get in touch!
Other events of interestIn the Triangle
(Disclosure: Some links below this point are affiliate links, meaning if you choose to make a purchase/booking after clicking one, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. If you do decide to make a purchase, please help support us by doing so via our link). Outside the Triangle
Know of an event you think should be included next month? Let us know! Venue Spotlight: Epilogue Books in Chapel HillThis bookshop/cafΓ© is a lovely little place to get a few hours of work done and peruse some great books. Located on Chapel Hill's famous Franklin Street, you can easily walk around to all sorts of other restaurants, bars and the nearby UNC campus. Normally, this place is packed with students. But with school out for the summer, it's a great time to check it out then maybe stroll down the street for a burger at Al's Burger Shack and a beer at Carolina Brewery. (See website) July remote work reads
Digital nomad/co-living tripsThese are organizations providing longer digital nomad trips around the world, in which you live, work and play with a group of fellow remote workers for anywhere from a week to a year (though most are a month or less).
Thanks for making it to the end. If you enjoyed this newsletter, send this link to a friend so they can sign up too. And if you have any other questions or suggestions, write to us here. Happy working! Eric Fish PS - Here are a few more resources I've found useful as a 'digital semi-nomad': βSafety Wing - Short-term travel insurance that covers you pretty much anywhere in the world and is easy to sign up for. βDonateβ |
Eric
Founder of Triangle Remote Workers & Digital Nomads
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