Don't worry: we'll stick to our “no blah-blah” promise. Nevertheless, we have chosen a really hot topic that already has a Wikipedia entry: “A digital nomad (...) is an entrepreneur or employee who uses digital technologies almost exclusively to do their work and at the same time leads a rather location-independent or multi-local life.”
Digital nomadism: a self-experiment
For us, the concept has become so tangible through Eva and her blog “on the sunny side”: she describes very vividly how work as an employee can function independently of a fixed workplace. And how she works in job sharing at the same time – which has taken job sharing to a new level in passing, so to speak. We thought it was great, and it quickly became clear: firstly, we wanted to learn more about it and secondly, we wanted to experiment with it ourselves.
Before Eva has her say, here is a brief impression: in January 2018, we moved our office to Thailand for a month. We knew from the outset that we would not be able to maintain our normal workload – nor was that our aim. Instead, the hypothesis of our self-experiment was: even as entrepreneurs, or self-employed people, a longer vacation absence should be possible if you put together work packages in advance that can be easily completed independently of the location. Since many of our customers are busy with their annual planning in January, we chose this month. Inspired by Eva's blog, we set the course. Now, shortly after our return, we can draw a positive balance: we have completed several offers and consulting concepts, prepared a seminar, written a specialist article and initiated a workshop series with our project partner Impact Hub. Overall, we have achieved about 30-40% of our usual workload. We benefited from technical preparation as well as from the time zone of Thailand, which is well compatible with Germany. All in all, we were able to organize a one-month absence as well as a young consultancy.
Our beach bureau on Ko Lanta
But now to Eva, for whom digital nomadism has become part of everyday life:
You took a lot of effort – and also showed a lot of stamina – when you introduced your individual job sharing model. Can you describe how it went?
The job sharing came about rather by accident. At first, there was the desire to be able to live in Tenerife for a year and continue to work part-time in a permanent position. As a social media coordinator, I did most of my work digitally – so why not choose the location for a certain period of time myself? I revealed my wish to my boss with plenty of notice, about six months before I actually moved to Tenerife. Since I enjoy my job, I wanted to do everything I could to combine my permanent position with the adventure of Tenerife. It wasn't easy to convince my superiors of the idea. At the beginning, he had some concerns. How can my tasks, such as holding workshops and participating in internal meetings, work if I'm not on site? This is where job sharing came into play. I suggested that I could share my position with a suitable person. My boss liked the idea in principle and fortunately I was able to find a suitable employee internally. After further negotiations with the HR department and the CEO, I actually received the go-ahead.
Very strong! You emphasize the digital component of your work. Can you describe which arguments were most convincing specifically for your position and which were most convincing in general?
Good preparation was the be-all and end-all. For the first interview with my boss, I had prepared a concept that mainly focused on my tasks, the tools and organizational issues. Above all, the task packages and the many browser-based tools that I worked with convinced my boss. For many things, I simply don't need to be on site. But for some things I do, hence the idea of a tandem partner: she would be the daily point of contact in the office. I also tried to cover all possible questions regarding our collaboration. These included communication, areas of responsibility and liabilities. For example, I also promised to work on site for a few days about once a quarter. Because personal interaction is important.
Absolutely. You have now worked in two different tandem roles. In both cases, you were the one who was not physically present on site. What motivated your tandem partners?
For my first tandem partner, it was definitely the exciting role that motivated her. As a mother, she only wanted to work part-time without getting bored. So we complemented each other well. The second job share came about more by chance, because my first tandem partner became pregnant and is now on maternity leave. This is where a major advantage of job sharing comes into play: since I am still with the company, there is no loss of knowledge and no replacement had to be found. I simply increased my hours a little and divided my tasks with a colleague from my department.
The advantage is obvious. And to what extent did the position benefit from the two of you being in charge? Many people think that job sharing tends to increase complexity rather than reduce it...
A clear division of tasks and agreements are certainly among the most important things here. We distribute these independently and according to our strengths. We work together on some things, mostly strategic ones. Of course, two heads can see the situation from more angles than one. In addition, you definitely become even more productive due to the limited time and clearly defined tasks. I work much more in a results-oriented way.
If you look at a typical week, what are the most important stages of working in tandem, and what are the most important tools (technical and practical)?
When I start my working day in the morning, the first thing I do is open the chat window, for which we use Rocket. It's open source, and it's something that the developers in our company have been using to communicate with each other for a long time. But it's also a quick and practical way for my tandem partner and I to communicate. We also have a fixed web conference appointment once a week, via Webex. Of course, we also call each other in between if something is urgent. We also use traditional e-mail a lot. And I also use a ticket system called Jira, mainly as a workflow tool with other departments, which comes from the field of agile software development. Just like Confluence, which we use to share content – and, therefore, knowledge. All files are stored on our company servers. Via a VPN connection, I can access the company drive from Tenerife. This works without any problems thanks to the fast internet connection on the island. And from time to time I am also on site. We then try to schedule important workshops and meetings for the periods when I am in Germany.
As if “emigrating” wasn't reason enough, you also have other ideas about what you would like to do outside of your normal job and what you need time for. Tell me more!
For me, moving to Tenerife also meant switching from a full-time to a part-time job. After all, I finally wanted to take more time for my personal goals. For a long time, I had wanted to do volunteer work, but I always put it off in Germany. Now I'm finally doing it. I volunteer for two organizations, working in nature conservation and supporting social projects. I also study Spanish every day. And I spend a lot of time in nature: hiking, kitesurfing and climbing are possible all year round here. This enriches my quality of life tremendously.
That sounds great! You developed job sharing on your own initiative – what came first: the idea of emigrating or sharing the work?
The desire to emigrate, or to live abroad for a while, by the sea, in the warmth, was there first. But it was clear to me that I would want to reduce my working hours to be able to devote more time to the adventure. Besides, I believe that it is difficult to work full-time from abroad. The necessary presence and close exchange were the initial spark to look into job sharing.
Can you see, despite the physical distance, that something is changing in your work environment as a result of your work?
One very nice result is that the work from afar is working. Sure, you have to follow certain rules. For example, I place a great deal of value on reliability. I have fixed working days and there's no question about it – even if I have visitors or the day would be perfect for kitesurfing. I really appreciate the flexibility that the company is currently giving me. In return, I want to do a good job. But I have also noticed that the physical distance is of course noticeable: I don't experience certain things up close. I no longer share lunch breaks with my colleagues. Instead, I experience the time when I work in the Cologne office for a few days as particularly intense.
We spoke to you for the first time when our idea of working remotely for a few weeks became a reality. And of course we were even more motivated. Does this happen more often in your personal environment, that people say, “I have to try something like that too?” Or get a dreamy look in their eyes when you talk to them...?
Surprisingly not. I would have thought that many more people would be inspired to break out of their job routine and dare to try such an experiment. I remember that hardly anyone in my circle of colleagues and friends thought it possible that the company would give me this freedom. Now I get a lot of encouragement. But people around me are less likely to do it themselves. Of course, it's not for everyone. But anyone who hears this voice within should definitely give it a try! For me, having the courage to fight for this desire for a different kind of work was one of the best decisions I ever made.
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