Working from home for recent college graduates who spent their last years of school learning on Zoom wasn’t as intense of a cultural shift as for those already deep in the workforce. Remote learning – remote working – is all young employees know.
But what about the seasoned veterans with years of in-person experience and interactions under their belt whose entire workplace structure was upended? From full office floors and lunchtime gossip to those initially awkward Zoom conversations, the older workforce has seen and experienced two sides of the same coin.
Older workers seem to be faring well in this new, virtual workspace. According to a survey by BambooHR, 68% of Gen Xers find themselves to be more productive when working remotely. It appears that those who have experienced a Monday through Friday, 9-to-5 office setting are quite gracious of the flexibility remote work provides. Our own Treble employees shared their thoughts on why working from home has been ideal for them.
Mike, Senior Content & Media Strategist
I graduated from college in 1991. My experience going from college to my first job was nothing short of an adventure.
Because I am Gen X and have always had in-person jobs and had to talk to people in real life, I transitioned well to remote work. I was a journalist for 24 years, so I excel at communicating with people, regardless of the channel.
However, the isolation is my least favorite thing about working remotely. There needs to be much improvement in developing training programs that teach people – who don’t know a world without the existence of the internet or texting – how to talk to people in real life. But working remotely has provided me with so many benefits like greater efficiency and productivity in life and work responsibilities. Though, I do like the option of being able to work with my colleagues when I choose.
Treble is among the best jobs I've had in my life. The empathy and drive my colleagues demonstrate allow us to work together as a team, even though we’re a remote one. I've had jobs since I was nine years old – all in-person before Treble. Although remote, Treble is one of the few places where I've experienced a dedicated and compassionate work environment.
McKenzie, Account Executive
Because I graduated college in 2018, I didn't have the option for any sort of remote work — everything was in-person. Looking back, I preferred it this way. My first job was fully in-person, and my biggest learning curve was adapting to professional communication. An in-person environment helped me quickly become attuned to a professional role.
That said, the world’s transition to remote work over the past few years has been ultimately good overall. Although remote work doesn’t allow for as frequent team brainstorming sessions, working remotely has provided me with more flexibility, less time commuting and the ability to work from anywhere. Now, I can travel out of state without taking vacation time off.
Connecting with my teammates virtually hasn’t been a challenge, especially here at Treble. We have the opportunity to frequently work together at co-working spaces, which allows me the flexibility to do what fits best with my schedule each week.
Monique, Senior Account Executive
I barely missed the COVID-19 virtual shift because I graduated from college in March of 2020. I went straight from undergrad to graduate school and into a fully remote role as a breaking news reporter.
The flexibility of working remotely was ideal for me at the time. It allowed me to live in a city of my choosing and connect with people from all corners of the world. I was able to cover and source local, national and even international stories from my apartment.
A downside to remote work is the isolation. I found that you have to directly ask for feedback that you would be more naturally given in an office environment. While Zoom calls with colleagues are great and offer plenty of opportunities to connect, there really is no replacement for in-person community.
Conversely, I wouldn’t say it’s been difficult to virtually connect with my colleagues – just different. Meeting people in person expedites familiarity with personalities and work preferences, but strong and transparent communication can be an effective way to make virtual work as seamless as possible. A well-managed remote workplace like Treble offers a unique work-life balance opportunity with more flexible options to work from different locations. Treble is intentional about prioritizing getting to know the team despite our remote setting. From working in-person some days to traveling to Austin to work together, it’s been enjoyable combining a comfortable and effective virtual workplace with more traditional, in-person components.