Keeping Remote Work in a Post-Pandemic World

The global coronavirus pandemic flipped the world on its head: spreading tentacles of infection led to a stock market collapse and unprecedented unemployment for those not fortunate to have remote work. A thick, dry underbrush of discontent and polarization grew unchecked for months, sparked by a series of lightning strikes, resulting in a raging inferno. People amassed on the streets in search of change, driving each side someplace closer to their dreaded corners of hate.

With a new decade came so much promise, yet the rate of change experienced in the first seven months of 2020 feels like that new decade has already come to pass. So much to consider in seven months.

But with all this negativity can come so much promise. While there can be an element of guilt to consider silver linings, we must. We must always look for promise and hope in times of darkness, for every night eventually turns to day.

One such ray of sunshine is the movement towards a more permanent remote work culture. The fortunate white-collar world has been working business on top, party on the bottom (nice shirt for the screen, underwear in the seat) since March.

So…what’s it going to take to keep that cushy remote job in a post-pandemic world?

Early 2020 Plans for Remote Work

The beginning of 2020 brought a lot of anticipation and excitement for Mrs. CC and I and perhaps you as well. In general, I get excited about a new year, but now I had an entire decade to contemplate.

As 2020 begins, I know I am going to be leaving my job in February. There are many things going on in January that I can’t yet discuss on this website as it relates to career stuff, but I feel, in this moment, a sense of contentment that I’ve perhaps never felt.

You see, if you only know me from this website or even from the last several years, you’d be very misled to assume that I’ve always been on a straight and narrow path to some form of “success.” Perhaps that’s a story for another post, but by January we feel like we’ve, at least in some ways, made it. We have achieved financial independence. Renovations on our home are nearing completion in anticipation of selling, and we are hopeful to lock in a pile of equity. We are about to travel to Sicily for some mid-winter sun on the Mediterranean (for real cheap too!). A course is being plotted for an extended domestic road trip.

The future is wide open and promising.

Poor Us

Well, that was then, this is now.

Although I’m writing about a time that occurred only six or so months ago, it might as well have been a decade. Times are changing at a rate we’ve never seen. Yes, the world is a very different place. It’s time to roll with the punches.

Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

Mike Tyson

And our life is now very different, with some advantages unpackaged out of the silver lining of a global pandemic. With hurt and destruction can come opportunity, and we’ve done what we can to scrounge up all the scattered, tangy Skittles of prospect.

January, 2020: Mrs. CC Requests Remote Work

As discussed above, in January we know that life will soon change. We’re financially at a point where traditional work is now optional. My company is getting bought and my job is ending with a nice severance package (an incredible coincidence and damn good luck, frankly). As such, we no longer feel a need or desire to live in a Denver city neighborhood. We want to get back to a smaller town or city.

The problem is that Mrs. CC has different needs as it pertains to security and risk, even though we know we are expecting to enter a potential drawdown phase with a safe withdrawal rate of 3.25% or less. She wants to keep her paycheck, because, as she says: I don’t hate my job.

Fair enough.

The short story is that she puts forth a bid for remote work with her immediate supervisor. He, a family man with a shared enthusiasm for a slower way of life, is all for it. Her success is in his interest; he wants the same thing one day.

His supervisor, unfortunately though, shoots down the idea immediately.

Mrs. CC is pissed. She’s put in over six years of dedicated and loyal effort to this company. Her job can 100% be done from any corner of the globe where an internet connection can be found. The fact that there’s not even a discussion from upper management has her enraged.

She’s resolved to quit after her bonus is paid out in mid to late March.

The Market Downturn

In February, of course, the market begins to free fall, bouncing off the bottom on March 23^rd, down 30+%. With the pandemic conditions worsening and lockdown orders in place, Mrs. CC is granted her full-time remote work by default. She naturally joins the ranks of the white-collar workforce fortunate enough to make the world go ‘round in their pajamas. However, the implicit assumption is that this is a temporary condition.

Now that the market is tanking with no end in sight and we’re stuck at home anyway, Mrs. CC does not quit her job after her bonus is paid out. And I’m all for it. There’s nowhere to go anyway; we can’t even leave Denver County! Might as well keep the income stream coming in.

As discussed in this post, by mid-June we decide to return to our original plans of selling our house and embarking on an extended domestic road trip. Thus begins the quest for securing truly remote work.

(Related Post: Shocking Headlines of the 2008 Financial Crisis)

Securing Permanent Remote Work

Alright, alright, enough of story time. You probably came here to figure out how to keep this cushy remote work gig going.

Step 1: Assess Your Position of Strength When Requesting Remote Work

Workplace Performance

I’m going to brag on Mrs. CC a bit, because she would never brag on herself. She is an incredibly dedicated and loyal employee. Do you want to hire someone who will consistently show up and get the job done with a smile? That’s my wife. I’m proud of her for that.

But her blindside is that she gives too much to her employer. Instead of scrolling social media or browsing the internet for “how to fondue” or “repurposed barn wood,” she is actually working. All day long.

Hey honey, do you mind taking a look at this thing that will take two minutes?

Ok, FINE. But this BETTER NOT take any more than exactly 120 seconds. I’m working!

So, for obvious reasons she has established a strong rapport with her employers. They know she gets the job done, and they know they can rely on her to not screw off while teacher is away.

A high-performing employee is a trusted employee. As Dave MacLeod told us in his interview, we have to be willing to do what others are not. Those who consistently go the extra mile are eventually rewarded, so long as they know how to leverage their strengths.

Financial Strength

It is also really helpful to not need the job. We’ve reached financial independence, where many folks decide to hand over a notice and call it good on the corporate life. At least for a while.

Mrs. CC, however, despite my pleadings at times, can’t quite come to terms with closing the valve on the paycheck pipeline. And that’s fine. We know that early retirement is not a panacea, and work is a fundamental aspect of happiness.

That said, a position of financial strength is a position of leverage. When you no longer need a paycheck, you can stick your ostrich neck out and ask for something big.

Mrs. CC gave her employer the ultimatum. We were selling our house and hitting the road. Were they going to work with her or not? Oh, and by the way, that schedule also needs to be cut from 40 to 30 hours, starting in a week or so.

An employee who is willing, ready, and able to walk has leverage. Please be warned: quitting is the nuclear option; the red button should only be pushed when all other negotiation efforts have failed.

Step 2: Convince Your Employer of the Benefits of Remote Work for THEM

The benefits of remote work for the employee are obvious: no commute, no idle chit-chat, the potential to live anywhere, and no pants (at least for me).

But why should your employer provide such a privilege to your half-naked ass?

A major request of your employer, including but not limited to raises, promotions, or remote work assignments absolutely must be framed as a mutually beneficial proposition for both parties.

Paying an employee more or elevating a title is fairly straight-forward and often simply a recognition of improving skill sets or additional workplace responsibilities. It doesn’t mean you won’t have to ask, but it’s a fairly routine ask.

Remote work, however, at least in many industries, is still very uncommon. To turn pandemic lemons into lemonade and keep the remote gig going, here are some suggestions or points of leverage:

Points of Leverage for Remote Work Requests

1. Is there a precedent? Find out if anyone at your company is already working remotely. If they are, lean on this fact hard. We knew there was already one remote employee, but we were told her situation was “unique.” Well, we’re all special snowflakes, right? We have an in!
2. Are you willing to cut your pay? If you are cutting hours as my wife did, your pay will be cut accordingly. For obvious reasons, we were able to frame the (admittedly minimal) cost savings as a company benefit in hard times. Other employers may insist on a pay cut even if keeping a full-time schedule. Sometimes that’s just the cost of being a rock star.
3. Remind the employer of the other reduced costs of your employment. These reduced costs may include office space when workers eventually return, parking or other transportation allowances, office gym memberships, etc.
4. An autonomous employee is a happy employee. An employee who can better balance life and work is going to be a happier, more loyal employee. That’s good for business.
5. Employee productivity. My wife now attends fewer meetings, and engages in zero idle chit chat about the weather or the Broncos (sorry Broncos fans, but enough is enough). Explain to your employer how you plan to be equally, if not more, productive with a remote work assignment.

Step 3: No Means Maybe

Persistence is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.

Aristotle

Mrs. CC had her request denied twice.

In pre-pandemic January, the answer is a hard no from upper management. Not gonna happen. Thank you, come again.

At some point, maybe late April or May, her supportive middle-management boss reaches out and tells her that he has not forgotten about her request. He vows to push again in light of the forced remote work situation. He recognizes what we already know: she can get the job done 100% adequately from home.

By mid-June, when we decide to sell our house and hit the road, we come to the conclusion that we have little to lose. Mrs. CC reaches out with news of our decision, informing her boss that we plan to leave in a month. Her boss once again elevates her request to upper management and HR with an urgency of the ultimatum being presented. There is a strong reluctance to approve this request, but Mrs. CC is a highly regarded employee.

In a management break-out meeting with executives and the CEO, Mrs. CC’s boss mentions that he has an employee who is requesting to relocate outside of the Denver area and continue working remotely. Most managers immediately balk at the idea like a bunch of squawking South Park gelgameks, but the CEO interrupts and challenges his people to ask themselves why it wouldn’t work. He, for one, is open to the possibility. Good man, sir.

The company pushes back at Mrs. CC, insisting she keep her 40 hours and lathering on the thick cream of guilt. The implicit message:

You are asking for too much.

The Email

We sit down and craft an email challenging the company to be adaptable in rapidly changing times. We remind them how much Mrs. CC has given, and how infrequently she has asked for anything in return. We make careful note of all the reasons the company will benefit from this experience. We ask them to get uncomfortable.

And it works.

After much back and forth and great reluctance, Mrs. CC is officially granted a 30 hour/week, truly remote work position. It’s a big deal, requiring lots of paperwork and official changes at the highest levels of corporate HR.

The moral of the story is that virtually no successful negotiation is tied up in a neat little bow the first go-round. Be persistent, and be driven. Ask, then ask again. Then maybe ask again another way. This same strategy enabled us to save thousands on a new car.

As I’m apt to say (and strongly believe) …

The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Step 4: Prove Yourself with Remote Work

Ok, fantastic! You’ve been granted your request.

Your final—and most important—job is to not screw this up for all who come after you. The eyes of scrutiny are upon you.

Many of Mrs. CC’s coworkers have been thrilled to see her acting as a trail blazer for truly remote work. SO MANY people want this; the ability to work a big-city job from the comfort of your home, or in our case, a sub-alpine meadow.

Know what you are asking for. Are you able to be an effective worker in the environment of your choosing? I’d say our situation—working on the road with dodgy cellular signal, where one is constantly required—isn’t recommended.

Do good work. Go above and beyond. Don’t you dare screw this up for everyone else by blowing off work and hanging on the fourth bolt of your project with that bad beta again. You know that beta isn’t working.

Seriously, show the world what we already know: the corporate office is, in many ways, dying on the vine. Let’s get this thing in the 21^st century, eh?

Summary

This kind of forward request and boldness goes against the grain of who my wife is, very much so. Perhaps you too struggle with the idea of standing up for what you want and what you (ideally) deserve. Quantitatively assess your strengths. Take an objective stance: have you put in the years of hard work to hone your craft? Have you provided unquestionable value to an employer that can be rewarded with a new level of autonomy and freedom?

If the answer is yes, prepare to get uncomfortable. For this to work, both parties have to slide off the clean, satin sheets of tradition and roll in the quagmire of uncertain and unprecedented times.

However, please understand that while many folks desire this sort of privilege, few are being granted it. Please be mindful of this unique time in history, and do your best to ensure there is a future for what we already know: the sacred cow of the traditional office has got a bit of a limp, and the milk kinda sucks.

Of course, I’m not signing up for an acupuncture session over Zoom. I realize not every job can be done remotely, but many can. Will we one day look back at this moment as a pivotal time in workplace dynamics? There are always silver linings, after all.

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