Maternal Time Warp

This week, my mother hit one of life’s chronological milestones – she turned 80.

Even as an octogenarian, she still cycles, plays tennis or takes Appalachian Trail-length walks on a daily basis.

She has trekked across Canada, rode a tortoise on the Galapagos Islands, lived with a tribe in Africa for two weeks and shot (with a camera) a charging Rhino that came thisclose to her jeep on the Serengeti.

It’s safe to say she was, and is, not typical of her generation. She was one of the first-ever female carriers for the old Brooklyn Eagle newspaper back in the early 1950s and was a working mother since I was in second grade.

For all her groundbreaking progressiveness and Hemingway-esque adventures, however, she still doesn’t understand the concept of working remotely in a home-based office. To her, that was something that doctors or dentists did, or those who worked in telemarketing sales jobs such as Fuller Brush or Avon.

Mom, welcome to the 21^st century where between 35 million and 40 million people either work full or part time in a remote location including your first born.

Now I’ve chronicled my remote career now going on its third year and the pros and cons that accompany it. I don’t miss the commute to New York City, a daily ritual I endured for nearly 25 years, but I do miss the personal interaction of an office and the traditional water cooler talk with colleagues.

I revisit this subject once again because I recently came across an article that offered additional insight to the benefits of working remotely – including several I had not envisioned (at least consciously) such as productivity – whereby the author claims that remote workers are more fairly judged on the quality of their work, as opposed to how long they remain in the office after quitting time.

Apparently I, along with millions of others am also environmentally friendly. Office spaces account for a large amount of carbon emissions, not to mention the fuel consumed traveling to and from work, even when taking public transportation. Go green!

We’re also healthier, as remote workers take fewer sick days, and even when they’re under the weather, they tend to get the work done.

And last but not least, there’s the cost savings – not only for commuting, but by avoiding exorbitant office leases, which traditionally require a three-to-five year commitment.

Of course, there’s always the advantage of not paying a New York City ransom for something as basic as a tuna fish sandwich and bottle of water.

Still, my mother remains unconvinced about the benefits of a remote workspace.

I assured her she’ll come around by the time she turns 90.