Working from Anywhere

Working from Anywhere

“Do you think there’s a possibility of companies introducing a new global standard of Remote First?” Alina-Maria Weide posed this question to the audience at TEDxSIX. That’s because she is convinced that employees are more efficient working under flexible conditions and off-site. She is a Senior Product Manager at SIX, and has worked from home since her first day on the job in April 2020.

At TEDxSIX you talked about Remote Work. Is that different from Home Office?

Alina-Maria Weide: Absolutely. When we talk about Remote Work, we’re talking about employees being able to do their work from anywhere – be it from home, a café, or co-working space. Remote employees utilize digital tools and technologies in the best possible way to organize their work and communication within the team in a way that’s efficient and makes good sense.

Why are you a firm believer in Remote Work?

I’ve worked remotely most of my career, and have travelled a lot. I always found it challenging working in artificially created surroundings: They’re always the same, they don’t really foster much creativity, and they’re often loud. Why should we persist with old paradigms that are still geared toward the 1920s? We’ve had the digital tools and infrastructure that have enabled us to develop for more than three decades.

So, what are the advantages for companies with this?

Studies show that working from home increases work performance and productivity, while reducing the number of sick days. A Harvard study in 2020 found that remote employees showed increased loyalty: The probability that they would quit their jobs sank by 50%. Flexibility allows employees to work at those times during which they are the most productive and creative. Moreover, when working remotely they can change environments and thus get inspiration when needed – be it from those around them, nature, or city life. Additionally, I’m convinced that companies that offer Remote Work have an easier time establishing employee loyalty, and attracting new talent – specifically, millennials and digital natives.

How has Covid-19 changed our view of the work environment?

Covid-19 spawned a lot of new ideas and viewpoints, and our everyday work has completely changed. We had to take stock of our values. What’s really important? What are my constraints? But we also had the opportunity to consider what life can look like with more self-reliance, discipline, freedom, and more quality instead of quantity.

The future isn’t a place we have to go to, rather a place that we create for ourselves.

Alina-Maria Weide

What motivated you to participate in TEDxSIX?

The notion behind TED, “Ideas worth sharing” is something that’s fascinated me since I was in my twenties. I was, and am, very thankful and excited that for just about every topic TED attracts people who can get to the heart of the topic in ways that are eloquent and pertinent. With a question that’s close to my heart, I applied for TEDxSIX so that I could experience this for myself.

What would you like to see in the future?

I imagine office spaces increasingly becoming places where companies foster collaboration between employees, and where we can meet for workshops. The future is not a place that we have to go to, rather a place that we create for ourselves. We have to seize the opportunity and assume responsibility for the future so that we can continually improve our quality of life. We have to create a normalcy in which we can choose how, when, and where we work best.

TED – Ideas for the World

A TED conference sees leading movers and thinkers come together from around the world to share their wisdom – within an 18-minute time limit. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and can be traced back to Richard Saul Wurman, who observed a sharp convergence of these three elements in 1984. The non-profit organization aims to provide people around the world with a better understanding of global issues in the hopes of creating a better future. In June 2006, six TED Talks went online, and within three months they’d been viewed over a million times – today, most talks are made available at no cost on TED.com. In the fall of 2012, TED Talks celebrated reaching their billionth view. It gets, on average, 17 new views per second. Incidentally, one of the most popular TED Talks features Sir Ken Robinson on the topic “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” Today, TED counts among the world’s most important forums for an interdisciplinary exchange of ideas. TEDx got its start in 2009, thus opening the TED format for local independently organized events. At TEDx events, there’s a combination of TED Talks videos and live speakers. On 23 March 2021, TEDxSIX took place – a completely digital event organized by employees from SIX for their colleagues in order to strengthen corporate culture.