Michelle Coulson has been working remotely from Bali, Indonesia, for the last couple of years. Prior to the pandemic, the in-house recruiter was based in London, but Michelle decided that she wanted the freedom and flexibility to explore the world. At the time, she already had a four-day remote-work arrangement with her company, but she felt it wasn’t enough.
In 2020, the 36-year-old journeyed through Spain and Portugal in her motorhome before making her way to Bali, where she intended to stay for just two months.
Her company soon called her back to London, but by that point, Michelle had already built a life for herself in Bali, and enjoyed how working remotely had allowed her to forge many new connections in co-working spaces, cafes and guest-houses.
And so she quit her job and chose to remain in Indonesia. Now, the remote-work advocate uses her recruitment expertise to help others find remote jobs so that they can live the lifestyle they desire. Her start-up, Remote Rebellion, offers coaching services for people who want to transition to fully-remote work.
“I believe that people find a job that works around their lifestyle, and not have to create a life around a job in a specific location,” she says.
The New Normal?
A recent survey by human resource consulting firm Randstad Singapore revealed that two in five workers here would not accept a job if they were unable to work from home, or if the job didn’t offer flexible working hours.
Of the 1,000 survey respondents, aged between 18 and 67, 77 per cent also said that they value the importance of remote work, but only 52 per cent shared that their companies offered them remote working options. In addition, slightly more than a quarter of respondents said that they’ve quit a job because it didn’t provide enough flexibility with regard to working hours and location.
Similarly, a study by the Institute of Policy Studies, conducted over nine months from mid-July 2021 to April 2022, showed that 41 to 52 per cent of workers surveyed felt that flexible work arrangements should be the new standard for workplaces in Singapore.
Even the government seems to support the flexi-work idea: In September, Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang urged employers to be open to flexible work arrangements – including four-day work weeks – in parliament.
Whether such remote-work policies become permanent here remains to be seen, but what we do know is that if Singapore employees have their way, remote work will be the norm in the near future.
Michelle, for one, thinks that remote working is here to stay: “Forbes estimates that, by 2025, an estimated 70 per cent of the workforce will be working remotely at least five days a month.
“Even if companies don’t want their employees working remotely, people have already had a taste of it because of the pandemic, and most don’t want to go back to the way things were before.”
She adds that people wanted to work remotely even before the pandemic.
“I fought for remote work when I was an internal recruiter at a digital agency in London back in 2017. Most of the people I was trying to recruit, like digital designers and software engineers, were demanding it, and it was getting harder to fill such positions without offering the applicants at least a few days of remote work per week.”
Pros and Cons
When the pandemic began, local company Touch PR & Events implemented a work from home (WFH) policy based on government recommendations at the time. Since then, this policy has evolved into a hybrid set-up, with 100 per cent of employees working in the office three days a week, and from home, two days a week. Vincent Ong, the company’s managing partner, says that this arrangement, which is permanent, has been a huge success – the work gets done and everyone is happier.
“The policy serves a two-pronged purpose – it gives our staff the flexibility to manage their personal and work priorities, and allows them to maintain active social connections and face-to-face interactions with their team members.”
Recently, Touch PR & Events implemented a work from anywhere (WFA) policy, which permits staff to work from anywhere in the world for one to two weeks per calendar year. This, too, has been popular with employees, many of whom like to travel and have family living abroad.
“You needn’t be based in one location to produce good work – that’s the old way of thinking,” Vincent adds.
While you don’t have to travel overseas in order to work remotely, having that “international” or “global” experience is something that many employers find attractive.
“You develop a greater respect for other cultures, and learn how to be more tolerant and patient,” Michelle points out.
Of course, remote work also comes with limitations, which may affect your work quality and output. For one, you may not be able to get in touch with your team members as frequently, especially if you’re working in a completely different time zone. This may lead to missed deadlines and miscommunication. Not always having a stable Wi-Fi connection may compound the problem.
Working remotely also means not having face-to-face interactions with your colleagues and bosses, and not being able to connect with them as meaningfully as you’d like. Over time, this reduced social interaction may impact your mental well-being.
“You’re transient, and as a single person, it can get lonely, even if you’re surrounded by people,” Michelle explains.
It can also be difficult sticking to a schedule. For instance, you may want to explore the city you’re in or hang out with your new friends, instead of sitting for Zoom meetings all day.
However, there’s probably no need to worry that working remotely will affect your chances of career advancement. If your company allows you to work from anywhere, it should have processes in place to monitor your job performance.
“As long as you plan your work priorities carefully, working from anywhere shouldn’t hinder your performance or productivity,” Vincent adds. “In fact, I think remote-working is a great way to build trust within a team, provided everyone is clear about their responsibilities.”
Is Remote Working Right For You?
If you would like to work remotely from overseas, but don’t know if it’s right for you, it helps to ask questions and do some research before coming to a decision.
According to Meera Bal, a life and career coach from family coaching practice Frolic for Life, you should first ask yourself why you want to work remotely. Think about whether your personality is suited for it, whether the experience will help you advance in your field, if you’ll receive support from your company, and how this set-up will help or hinder your professional growth.
Next, understand the nature of working remotely, says Meera. Be clear about the challenges involved, ask if your company has a proper system in place to support employees that work remotely, get feedback from colleagues who have done it, and ask if this is a transition you want or need to make in terms of your overall career plan.
It’s also a good idea to think back to when you had to work remotely during the pandemic – what did you learn from the experience? Did you perform your job the same way? How might this new experience differ from your traditional office-based role?
“Your decision may be based on your desire to advance in your career or on wanting to feel fulfilled while growing professionally. Whatever the case, remember that you’re always evolving, so your choice should come from a place of certainty, clarity, and a commitment to work smart and live purposefully.”
Other Organisations with Work-From-Anywhere Initiatives
Airbnb
Employees have the option of living and working in over 170 countries for up to 90 days a year in each location. According to an April 2022 announcement to staff, employees are responsible for getting proper work authorisation and Airbnb is “actively partnering with local governments to make it easier for more people to travel and work around the world”.
Spotify
Employees can choose to work from any city or country, as long as it’s in the same region as their team, and it makes sense for their role. For instance, if your role is based in Stockholm, you may be eligible to work remotely within Europe. To comply with local laws, Spotify must be a registered entity in the country that the employee wishes to work in. Staff also need to have all the necessary visas and documentation to work in the location of their choice.
LinkedIn
Last year, the Microsoft-owned company announced that employees will be allowed to work remotely permanently, adding that its hybrid-working plan is a “step away from a one-size-fits-all policy”. Individual teams can decide on their own hybrid working strategy. “We trust each other to do our best work where it works best for our teams and us,” said CEO Ryan Roslansky.
Standard Chartered
The London-based banking and financial services company offers a flexi-working option. According to its website, “flexi-working allows us to combine flexibility of location and flexibility of the pattern of our work in a way that suits us, our role, and our personal life while meeting business needs. Options include our work location, which may be a combination of office, home, or another agreed work location (such as a client site or flexible office); and our working patterns – the number of days and hours you work in a week.” Most roles are eligible for flexi-work.
Tips On Finding A Remote Job
Many tech companies, like GitLab, Zapier, Toptal, Percona and Clevertech are remote-only, with employees based all over the world. But they’re not the only ones, and as more organisations embrace remote-working, it means more roles up for grabs. Here’s how to score a remote job that suits you.