How has working remotely impacted your family life?
My family loves it. My children are happy I’m able to volunteer at their school on a regular basis.
I’ve been working remotely since the start of my relationship with my wife so it has always been normal for us. When we moved in together, it could be difficult sometimes as she was doing shift work and I was trying to stick to a working week—that generally meant I would be more flexible with my timings so we could spend time together, but if I had a deadline it meant I had to work whilst she was at home, which could be a distraction.
Wherever we travel, I’m always with my husband…as we made that choice together and he is also remote in everything he does (and/or we do).
But we are far from our family and from childhood friends… So our “golden rule” is that we visit them at least once a year… We also invite them to visit us. And we are in regular contact through Skype, emails and social medias.
It’s been phenomenal. My work-life balance has never been better. I’m able to help with the kids and attend more of their school functions/events. The flexibility it affords is second to none.
Being remote has made me a better parent, caregiver to my elder parent, and better spouse. I’m able to have so much more time for “me stuff” as I don’t have to spend time commuting. I have a better life as a remote.
It allows me to see my family a lot more often, despite the fact that I live far away from them a lot of the time. That I have the opportunity to go see them when I want, and for important events, without asking anyone else’s permissions, is so wonderful.
My wife and I have never been more in love. We experience the world—together.
I don’t have to worry about snow or sick days.
My partner also works remotely so I spend LOTS of time with him. We were together for several years before working remotely and suddenly I knew so much more about him just from the sheer amount of time we’re spending together. It’s funny how we suddenly realized how similar our jobs are, too! In general, we feel much more like a team, both at work and outside of work.
The biggest difference would be that my kids have to remember that I’m working and it’s especially hard at holiday times. They want to make noise and use my broadband. I’m very used to spending time with my wife, who is also at home all day, so we see each other a lot, which I think is great.
Even though I’m out of the country more often, I actually spend more time with my family since I have the flexibility to stay with them for weeks at a time instead of just a weekend here and there.
My husband and I have been able to spend a lot more time together (we work about five feet apart now!) and it’s been wonderful to have quiet mornings with him eating breakfast or doing the dishes together after lunch. I’m able to spend more time with my kids and be the parent I always wanted to be. As parents, we shouldn’t have to choose between our careers and our families, but with the all-too-familiar idea that meaningful work needs to be done in a cubicle during set hours, we’re often forced to focus more on one part of ourselves, to choose what’s more important: family or work. I’m not just a mother, a wife, or a writer; I’m all of these things and by working remotely and blending together these separate identities, I don’t have to lose part of myself to make sure the other parts remain intact.
I can attend after-hour functions and be on time! I don’t have to waste time sitting in traffic willing people to go faster to make my son’s baseball game or my daughter’s dance practice. I can spend more quality time with my family and feel less frazzled.
I am able to spend more quality time with my family than when I was working as a lawyer.
It’s helped me to be more available, since I can flex my schedule to be there for my family when I am needed.
It has allowed us to cut down to only one car, and carpool. For example, on days when I may need the car, I can give my spouse a ride to work.
If it wasn’t for my remote work I wouldn’t be able to be there for all the needs my family has. Remote work has been the reason why my family is as happy as they are. If I wasn’t around as much as I am we wouldn’t be in a good spot.
Hugely. It means I get to have a career I’m proud of without uprooting our family. I mean…except when we WANT to be uprooted, like now! But before we left on an RV trip, it meant I could move forward in my career and make good money without moving to a major metropolitan area. We didn’t have to choose between my husband’s career and mine.
I am single, the eldest in the family, and I am the breadwinner. Working remotely has helped me to save money that my family and I can use during emergencies.
Although I have mostly traveled solo over the years, because I work online I was able to take my niece on a long-term trip to Southeast Asia. She was 11 years old at the time and my family and I agreed that she would benefit from a year of homeschooling and travel. Because my schedule is flexible (and I already had the experience integrating work and travel), my niece traveled with me throughout Southeast Asia for nearly seven months. It was an incredible family adventure. Since then, I have traveled with her to Central America, and I also took my nephews on a monthlong road trip throughout Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. These experiences have positively impacted not only my life, but my family’s life as well. Without my remote-based work, many of these trips would have been more difficult to arrange and less affordable. During these travels with my family, I am always able to keep part-time income while we travel together (I work in the early mornings while the kiddos are still sleeping).
It’s been great in terms of being able to spend time with my family. I have 7 nieces and nephews—4 of which were born within the last year. Being able to work remotely gave me the opportunity to spend a lot of time with them. For me, my family is incredibly important to me. It was actually one of the major reasons why I became a freelance writer.
I don’t think it has one way or the other although, if you have kids at home, you’d better have a quiet space where you can work undisturbed.