Here it’s said, I’m working better during the night. This rythm can feel strange for you, normal for others. It’s a fact, my productivity is increasing between 10pm and 2am. It’s dark, with a nice temperature and no one is here to bother me.
Humans have always been the ones that need to adapt to the company rythme. What if tomorrow, it was the company which adapts to its employees?
During traditional office hours, it’s sunny outside, noisy, cars come and go, people walk in the street, kids play and scream right under my window. I get a notification here, a message over there. Emails come and go, calls… Anyways it’s difficult to focus.
Why do I have to work during this time? Why don’t they let me work whenever I’m the most productive and focused? Humans have always been the ones that need to adapt to the company rythme. What if tomorrow, it was the company which adapts to its employees? Letting people that wake up early, start early? People sleeping late the ability to close the office? Well being at work start to be more and more present. We can see it with multiple articles talking about it, création of groups of companies such as the Happy Tech.
In my ideal company, I work wherever I want.
It’s been proved by multiple studies that home office improves productivity at work. From my own experience, I work as well from a coffee house, in a train, in my bed or even on the beach. It’s calm, comfy and I can focus on whatever tasks I’m doing. You’re afraid that I won’t work while being at home? You know, I can be as lazy, sitting in an office in front of you.
In my ideal company, I work whenever I want.
My ideal rythm contains a bit of work in my bed, when I wake up, a session between 10 and noon, a quick nap, going back to work at 2pm, and a late session between 9 and midnight. You’re probably thinking that I’m crazy, it’s possible, everyone have its own rythm. The reaction you’re facing now, it’s the one I have when someone asks me to work, in my office, from 9am to 6pm. This question about rythm is even when I don’t focus about public transportation. I probably don’t need to picture you how crowded is the metro during rush hours, whereas it’s empty during normal hours.
Metro in Paris during Rush hours
In my ideal company, I want to work from Friday to Tuesday.
Why shall I keep an identical week-end as everyone else? I like to travel, the cheapest flights are on Tuesday and Thursday. I like to eat, but most restaurant keep their cheap lunch formulas for week days only. I play tennis, but my favorite fields are overbooked during weekends, and in the evenings it’s cold and dark. I like shopping, but I bet you can’t find an open shop, on a Sunday, outside of big cities (at least in France). I could continue for a long time but you’re probably picturing what I’m saying. I don’t have any kids, neither friends still in university. And I’m not particularly going to church on Sundays. Why should I follow a weekly rhythm, created a long time ago, that doesn’t fit with my way of life? About this point, some companies are open 24/7, other offer unlimited holidays to their employees. It’s a good start.
In my ideal company I work on subjects respecting my values
During a previous professional experience, I had to work with scam websites. You know, these kind of websites assuring you a full gain and amazing prizes. Using your credulity to steal your money? The kind of website using people’s weakness to make them even weaker? I keep a bad memory of it, and in the future, have no expectation on working with a company like this again. It was a rich experience on a personal level. Having a job it’s great. Having a job respecting my values, it’s a must.
To be honest, who’s never drag themselves to work? Has never been angry about a co-worker ? A client? A mission? Working on subjects related to what you like and know, it’s interesting, isn’t it? Being able to refuse some missions because they don’t compile with your beliefs. What a dream! In my company I work on whatever I like, and with whom I want.
Anyways, I imagined in this previous lines my dream company. A utopia you’re saying? Well theses criteria are part of my professional life. All theses points are why I choose to become a Freelance.
Today, thanks to platforms like Hopwork and Crème de la Crème, I’m working in my dream company. I can work on Barcelona beaches, drinking a fruity cocktail with the sun reflecting on my face. And all of this in the middle of the week, with a flight back and forth for less than 50€! What a dream! This situation is not a reason for me to work less or badly. If you don’t trust this, you can still review what my customers say about me.
Seriously, who wouldn’t like to work here ?
To all CEOs reading me, give more flexibility to your employees, they will give it back, I assure you. I’m not saying you should break all working codes, just try to smooth the corners to improve the whole quality of work.
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NB : I wrote the french part of this article in a plane from Paris to Madrid. The english one, deep in my bed, under my blanket. You can see, people can work from everywhere 😉