The Virtual Office: Better Health, Better Planet, Better Business

People sometimes are surprised to learn that Micro-Documentaries operates without an “office”.  Rochelle Durst, our Director of Productions, gives us her perspective on working from an avocado grove.  

Personally I’ve been able to avoid the constraints of trying to live in a location dictated by a job market.  Instead I’ve been able to maximize my quality of life, choosing to live in a setting surrounded by nature, and in close proximity to the ocean where I pursue my love of surfing.  I am also able to make time to focus on other interests during my work day breaks, like art and gardening or simply spending time with my husband, dog and cats, decompressing on a walk through the orchard. Another überperk is having eliminated my work commute. In the spirit of Earth Day, with the help of terrapass, I figured I am eliminating 7,673 lbs CO2/year, while saving about $1500 in fuel charges!

When the team enjoys their work and work environment – the clients are the first to benefit. For example, with fewer office distractions, my clients get more of my focused attention. Lower overhead costs also get translated into more affordable prices for clients. And it goes without saying that when the team is enjoying their work and the clients are well-served, it makes great business sense.

Although I am incredibly fortunate to have the flexibility of working remotely for a booming startup, it requires discipline. In my case, staying motivated isn’t a problem, rather defining when my work day is officially over seems to be the blurred line. The more connected a society we have become, the harder it is to establish boundaries. If we all stopped working through the weekend and used that time instead to recharge our batteries (remember weekend = end of week), we would naturally slow the pace of information exchange, creating less work overload. I have vowed to take my weekends back and instead have a face off with Monday’s inbox.

While every job doesn’t provide the flexibility of working from home, simply trying to incorporate small and healthy changes can do wonders, not only for you or your employees, but also the environment and your business.  I encourage you to try working from home one day a week (or ride your bike to work!), and give us all a break — don’t work on the weekend. Planet Earth will thank you for moving your carbon footprint towards a carbon fingerprint.