Remote Work is a return to something very old

People think that remote work is some advanced digital revolution. It is and it isn't.

The tools we use are advanced, as bandwidth had to get better to allow for video conferencing and its next generation. The type of work best suited for remote work, the kind you can do with just a computer and a phone, is technologically complex. Advanced tools allow us to return to something simpler, older, stronger: working near your family.

Before the invention of cars, everyone worked near their families. Your kids were put to work earlier and they saw you work. They learned from you, and your work and home life had to integrate and were not split between one suburb and another.

How you act when working affects what your children think about work, how they choose their vocation, and how well it integrates into their life. If you treat work as completely separate from your life, barring your children from your office and yelling at them whenever you are on the phone, then work will be seen as very-grown-up and terribly-serious, and they might feel like a second priority. If you show them how you work, letting them help you edit an Excel file, then they may run as fast as they can away from your vocation. All of these are fine reactions, and you now have the power to influence them directly. No take-your-daughter-or-son-to-work day; every day has those same chances.

Remote work now means closer work, like it used to be.

For tips on how to manage your family while working from home, check out Navigating Remote Work.