I’m a proud work from homer; here’s why.

When you work at a creative agency like Blokhaus, maximizing productivity means maximizing inspiration. I’ve believed this for a long time, not only as an account manager but also as a music producer. Inspiration is everywhere—it’s within all of us—and it’s important to cultivate an environment that inspires us to do our best work. 


For me, that means working from home.
 

As leaders across industries push for a return to the office, it’s easy to forget what we learned from the pandemic era: that we are more productive at home than we are in an environment where we have to put up with things like constant shoulder-tapping (something I’m guilty of) and finding a consistent lunch spot. I’d like to challenge the conventions of returning to the office (sorry, commercial property owners!).
 

Without further ado, here’s my TED talk why remote work, works: 
 

1. Don’t Worry, Be Happy: Research from Owl Labs shows that remote workers are 22% more satisfied and can be more productive than their office counterparts. This resonates with me. My workspace is fully configured for my flow. I find it difficult to imagine producing my highest quality work without my tools. As a music producer, I can’t imagine lugging my synths to work from my home studio. Sure, I can bring my computer to studio sessions…but I can’t bring the curated set-up that is so important to my end product everywhere I go.
    
2. Sign O’ the Times: To quote Lil Wayne, one of the greatest to ever do it, from his 2010 smash hit ‘Right Above It’: “If you ain’t runnin’ wit it run from it.” Let’s face it: technology has exploded in a way that allows us to stay connected with teams more closely and efficiently than ever before. In the office, how many times has someone killed your flow by asking you a question that they could easily figure out the answer to? With tools like Slack and other DM-ing platforms, I can easily triage and monitor messages from my colleagues, so that once I’m out of a creative flow state, I can easily jump into reviewing them. Creative collaboration tools have also grown by leaps and bounds. Take Figma, for example; this tool allows you to collaborate on a creative board and jam seamlessly. Remember when you had to pass InDesign files back and forth to collaborate? Yeah, exactly. Only to number three… 
    
3. $ave Dat Money: If there’s anything I’m happy about, it’s the fact that I get to save on the gas money I burned during my hour-long commute to the office. The work lunches, the post-work drinks, the morning coffee because I don’t have time to use that Nespresso I just bought… it all adds up. Working from home can result in huge cost savings. According to a report from Lemon.io, companies that offer remote work options could save up to $10,600 per employee annually. This is a win-win in any person’s book. 
    
4. Reaching Out: When I feel uninspired as a musician, I reflect on how big the field is and draw inspiration from work outside my usual genre, because artists from all over the country and the world inspire me differently. The same is true in the world of marketing. Remote companies have access to a limitless talent pool from global backgrounds. I’ve worked with, and learned from, folks I never would have met had my work life been confined to Austin’s city limits. These relationships and experiences have made me a better professional and enriched me personally. 
    
5. Dogs and cats: I can have my dogs beside me as I work (as I’m writing this, our collie Frida is sound asleep by my chair), work in my backyard (thank you WiFi extenders), or even put on a podcast or a video for inspiration.

In a field where staying refreshed and restored is vital to the creative process, companies in creative spaces must take a step back to reflect on the true benefits of adopting or continuing the work-from-home model. Besides, wouldn’t you hate not being able to take meetings in sweatpants anymore? I know I would.