The new corner office

Photo by bitsnpixels via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Perhaps this recession really has taught us some things?

I’ve noticed some trends softly changing in the past 2-3 years that are enlightening a cultural shift in our work-home-success life quotient. And they are encouraging.

Here’s a few things I would label under “the new corner office.(Things that todays worker use to label that “they’ve made it.”)

  • No fear of self-employment. You’d think that a serious downturn in the economy, a tightening of credit, and exploding health insurance costs would scare the bejeezers out of people starting their own business? That’s just not happening in my circle of friends. And these new businesses, self-ventures, and new careers are all doing pretty well.
  • Working from home, working remotely, and location independence. Within the workforce, I think these are becoming status symbols. Kristen works from home as much as she likes. I like to work remotely about one day per week. And I know plenty of people who don’t even live in the same state as their company but work remotely permanently and just come in when needed. The net result for the company is that employees are actually more productive and the company needs less/different work space. The way technology is now… there’s a whole breed of worker growing less and less dependent on the traditional work environment. It’s a win-win.
  • Choosing “right job” over “big pay” jobs. [Note: I’m not talking about unemployed/unemployable recent college grads holding out for dream jobs that don’t exist at their level.] Plenty of people in my world have left jobs they pursued for years for something that was better suited for their personality/gift match. In many cases, that means they are pursuing a new career that pays less but feels right over a job that pays more but sucks the life out of them. That’s awesome for everyone.

Hard work is now and will always be the grease that makes the machine of success work for 99.9% of workers. At the same time, these new trends seem to show a desire for a simpler life. The new mantra seems to be, “I don’t mind working hard for the right things.

Comments

3 responses to “The new corner office”

  1. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    I saw SEVERAL studies that showed when the times get tough and people are downsized, entrepreneurial spirits emerge and more people just decide to work for themselves. It’s nice to see that I’m not the only one who sees it first hand.

    Oh, and I totally agree. People do tend to tire of doing work they don’t believe in. And I’m totally for a simpler life.

  2. frank Avatar

    So I randomly start reading your blog (not even really sure how I picked it up) and I’m flipping through my Google Reader this morning and I stop on your post and say to my wife “hey! isn’t that Lucy’s coffee shop in this picture??”

    Sure enough it was. We’re currently living in Nicaragua (here with AIM) but we are from Birmingham, Alabama – home of Lucy’s Coffee Shop. When I first quit my job almost 2 years ago, Lucy’s coffee (and often that couch in the picture) became my office. My wife worked 1.5 blocks from Lucy’s. Good times and a great coffee!

    1. adam mclane Avatar

      That is amazing. I’ve never been to Lucy’s or even Alabama. But I saw that picture and thought… bam, corner office!

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