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Loading ...I finally got to sit down today and peruse my Sunday New York Times Magazine and I discovered an article that is oh so relevant to the lives of all the employees of Abraham Harrison LLC. The article is titled “Home-Office Politics” and talks to how the new workers, those of us that work from home deserve a New Deal!!
There are certainly some policies that penalize those of us that work from home - such as having to contribute the full 15% to Social Security, or the lack of group health insurance policies or other such things. However, in my opinion I can live with these type of constraints when I have the freedom and flexibility to work at hours that are best for me and my family.
The growing influence of home workers will, in my opinion, change many dynamics of our social and political lives as the segment of the American working force that works from home increases. According to a Democratic pollster Mark Penn there are over 4 million Americans working exclusivly from home, which is a 100% increase since 1990, while another 20 million Americans work from home part time.
This is a big number and is growing. Many liberals have said that this movement to “independent contractor” or “self-employed” status is being driven by companies desires to off-load responsibilities - like health insurance, retirement policies and long term responsibilities - a contractor is far easier for a company to get rid of then an employee.
The drive to “indpendent worker” status may very well have been driven by corporate America’s desire to cut costs but I think it will gather momentum as more and more people realize some of the truly positive benefits to this sort of life style. Not to mention how it stands to really redefine the commercial and social landscapes.
Firstly think of the way retail would change if people could go shopping at anytime of day - rather then on Saturday and Sunday or after 5 pm. Hell, I go to the stores at all kinds of random times - I have no solid schedule…
Secondly - would the “prime time” slot loose it’s importance on TV? Heck, if everyone didn’t come home at the same time they may not care to watch TV between 6pm and 8pm.
Thirdly - the environmental benefits as far as I can tell are huge. I barely produce any paper waste (in fact I don’t think Abraham Harrison produces much waste period). None of us commute, none of us have to have office’s using up extra land and extra resources to maintain.
So, as this drive towards increasing amounts of people working from home continues, look for a major shift in how our routines are structured and what it does to our society as a whole. Hell, when the labor movement brought us the weekend and an 8 hour day there was no doubt that this changed everything.
Imagine a society where the majority of workers are home - going out at random hours, hanging out with their children and spouses and in general living a much more organic and natural lifestyle.
How bloody exciting is that???
I feel like a true trend setter now. I don’t think I will ever be able to go back to working in an office!!!
Filed under: Abraham Harrison, Abraham Harrison LLC, Abraham Harrison Staff, Employee 2.0, Employer 2.0, Environmentalism, Home Office, Telecommuting, Virtual Company, Virtual Office, Virtual Team
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Yep, I completely agree. I could never return to working in an office. I left the corporate world nearly three years ago to start my own firm, and I’ve never been happier. Sure, there have been lean times but the freedom and flexibility that come with building a business on my own terms have been well worth it.
Working from home has given me a new life, a new perspective on what’s possible in this world in which we live. I have a hard time explaining this arrangement to my dad who worked for the same company for 36 years before retiring. But this is the new reality of business. And I love it.
I have to admit that my home has become pretty much a studio in which I have a bed to sleep in. Now that I am here in Berlin, I have better universal Internet access via 3.5G — so there should be no limit to my workaholism.
PS: We do work Saul to within an inch of his life, that’s for sure. And, to be sure, Saul is a rarity — he is able to keep focus, keep aimed, and consistently manage both the team as well as his CEO and COO — sometimes we’re harder to manage than the team is!
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