A Work Ethic is Portable

My work-from-home (WFH) phase started in May 2000, over 21 years ago. For 17 years prior, I traveled by way of the #7 bus—Monday to Friday—to my workplace in downtown Boston.

I was at The Forum Corporation when I started working 100% remotely. My then manager and I made an agreement—she didn't care where I did my work as long as I maintained the same level of performance I had on-site. That trust meant the world to me! It was hugely motivating to keep that trust.

To make that transition real, I crafted my personal WFH brand: That no one would EVER have to wonder where I was, and that I could be trusted to meet my deadlines and deliver consistently reliable results. That brand promise was my way of saying thank you for trusting me.

WFH isn't for everyone, or for every job, but it does have impacts on engagement, economics, and energy that require attention. My decision to WFH was an act of self-care. Although I'm very friendly, I'm also very introverted. I know what drives my performance. 

A work ethic is portable. Declare your personal WFH brand in a way that it becomes visible with or without your physical presence. 

Or as Jon Kabat-Zinn put it, “Wherever you go, there you are.”