3 Reasons Why Remote Working Is Ideal for Creatives — People First Content

As a writer, I know all too well that creativity doesn’t keep an 8 to 5 schedule. That’s why I’ve always envisioned building my content marketing agency as a remote-first workplace.

However, remote work hasn’t always been seen as the work style of choice for entrepreneurs. When I first founded People First Content, I encountered more than a few raised eyebrows.

“So, you’re not going to have an office?” they’d say, trying to sound more curious than judgmental. “How’s that going to work?” Sometimes they wouldn’t be so polite as to ask me. Instead, they’d say flat out, “that’ll never work.”

Fortunately, I had more confidence in myself than these random people did.

We’re not talking about me building a remote company in the 20th century. It was 2018, and tools like Zoom and Slack were very much around, even if most people outside of the tech world didn’t hear about them until the pandemic.

When these naysayers came into my life, I opted to go into more detail than they possibly wanted to hear about how I would use tools to communicate with my employees while keeping them engaged and focused. I also explained that, because People First Content works with companies worldwide, it doesn’t really matter if I have an office here in Tulsa, Oklahoma since I’d be doing most of my sales calls virtually anyway. Did they care? Probably not. But some of them stopped asking, at least.

Fast forward to 2022, and nearly 5 million people in the U.S . are working remotely at least half the time. Working from home is seen as a perk, saving employees time and money. Business, in general, has become even more global than it was just a few years ago, now that companies in various industries have been forced to adopt technology for meetings and sales calls.

Even if the pandemic hadn’t happened, PFC would still be a remote-first business. Demanding employees to clock in and clock out during prescribed periods of time isn’t a good model for this business.

Here are some specific reasons why working remotely benefits creative teams.

Benefits of Working Remotely for Creative Teams

I’ve been working remotely on and off for over a decade. Here are some of the things I’ve discovered about why remote work is the right way for creative teams to work.

1. Work when your brain’s ready

The best part of working remotely is that you don’t have to force yourself to be creative on a set schedule.

Through trial and error, I’ve found that I work best by writing in the morning for a few hours then taking a long break to listen to a podcast, go for a walk, read a book, or even take a power nap. Basically, I do what I need to do to let my brain recharge, then I go back to it in the afternoon.

Some people work best at night. That’s fine if you’re working remotely, but not so great if your boss expects to be in the office at 8 AM.

2. No distractions

It can take 25 minutes to get back on track after even a minor disruption. When you work in a busy office that doesn’t understand how creative teams work, you can easily spend an entire 8 hour day just trying to get focused.

I know this from experience. Before starting PFC, I spent a few years working for a company that was housed on multiple levels of a high-rise. For the first few years, the content team sat happily on a quiet floor. We liked being in our own corner, away from the noise of the sales team and ping pong table. We even had control of our own light switch, which we usually kept off so we could work by natural light instead of having fluorescent pouring over us.

Then, one day, someone from above our pay grade decided we needed to be “brought into the light.” They moved us to another level, where we couldn’t work without hearing the constant noise of other teams, ping pong tournaments, and co-workers chatting loudly by the beer coolers.

It was the opposite of a conducive environment for writers. I tried explaining this but was ultimately unsuccessful in my endeavors to move us back to our dark corner.

As a writer, I know that working from home means I am free from distractions. Nobody’s walking up to me to ask me about something unrelated or try to start up a friendly conversation. I don’t have to listen to the sounds of a ping pong tournament or accidentally eavesdrop on a sales call. I can relish in the quiet of my own space.

3. Encourages autonomy and time management

I am not a micromanager. To be honest, micromanaging sounds exhausting. That’s why I only hire people who can work independently without needing me to look over their shoulder.

I think (and hope) we’ll see more workers gain the ability to manage their time without being micromanaged as the result of the pivot to remote school and work. Being able to talk yourself into working and meeting deadlines is a critical life skill, not just for work but for life.

I’m happy that a lot of businesses saw their employees’ productivity skyrocket when they switched to working remotely. Maybe we can start getting rid of leadership styles that require employees to constantly check in. For our team, we all have deadlines. As long as we hit them, we’re good. I don’t care if you work at midnight, 6 AM, or noon. As long as your work is done on time, we’re all set.

Looking for a Creative Team? Let’s Talk

My goal with People First Content is to build a company that provides quality content for businesses all over the world. We can only accomplish that when our employees have the tools and flexibility they need to be creative.

Does that mean we’ll never get an office? Not necessarily. Instead, it means that we’ll do whatever it takes for our employees to have whatever they need to deliver the best output for our clients. For now, that’s offering fully remote employment.

If you’ve been looking for a creative team for your blog posts, articles, white papers, eBooks, or social media, let’s talk! Book a call to see if People First Content is the right agency for your company.

Originally published at https://www.peoplefirstcontent.com on February 1, 2022.