Technology developments that have brought the Internet, Skype, satellite television and other communication services to even remote corners of the world now allow us to live and work virtually anywhere.
I know. I was a teleworker in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for seven years. As a brand consultant, I was able to live abroad but continue to work with clients in the U.S., easily and seamlessly.
Our new article,“Teleworking and the New American Expat Generation,” explores the growing role of telework in helping expats fulfill their dreams of working abroad.
We interviewed the President, CEO and Co-Founder of the Telework Coalition (TelCoa), Chuck Wilsker, to get a better handle on what makes teleworking tick today.
“The term telework was actually coined in 1973,” Wilsker says, “but technology-enabled telework probably came in the late 1990s with the widespread adoption of DSL, cable and satellite broadband connections. Good broadband and collaborative software provides all the tools needed for teleworking communication.”
Technology is not a barrier to teleworking in most countries. But employer perceptions may be. “To allow someone to telework is a matter of trust,” Wilsker says. “The employer has to trust the employee to be able to work independent of location, and the employer has to have the metrics available to be able to judge the amount of productivity that someone is putting in. Productivity cannot be measured by time spent, it has to be made on output.”
One of the key benefits of teleworking is improved work/life balance, which is a priority for a key component of the new American expat generation: Millennials.
In findings from a 2013 study, the consulting firm Pricewaterhouse Cooper said, “The Millennial Generation seeks more workplace flexibility, better balance between their work and home life and the opportunity for overseas assignments as keys to greater job satisfaction. Unlike past generations, who put an emphasis on their careers and worked well beyond a 40-hour workweek in the hope of rising to higher-paying positions later on, Millennials are not convinced that such early career sacrifices are worth the potential rewards. A balance between their personal and work lives is more important to them.”
Telework may be the answer for Millennials and other expats. It was for me and I’m several generations beyond Millennials.
[readon1 url="http://myinternationaladventure.com/08/confessions-of-a-teleworker/"]Source:myinternationaladventure.com[/readon1]
Confessions of a Teleworker The New American Expat Generation
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