I realized over the weekend that I've been silent too long on the subject of working anywhere, something I pioneered pretty much at the age of 14 when I was pulled into the world of sports, sports marketing, public relations, game and event operations and more. So I guess, now 40 years later it's time to put all that I've been learning to practical use.
For starters, people work in more places today than ever before. Working from Home (WFH) isn't the abnormal for many. Working On the Road isn't just reserved for truckers and field force technicians. Being at the clients offices is no longer just for a meeting. Doctors, once those who made house calls but who became restricted to offices by draconian insurance industry regulations now use mobile devices, video and more to evaluate their patients and keep office time for those who need it.
As someone who has closed deals in bed, worked from the beach, on snow covered mountain peaks, on planes, trains and automobiles, in restaurants, on ferry boats and yes, in the doctor's office too, I'm not shy about working wherever I may be.
As a frequent business traveler, one who logged on average more than 200 days a year on the road the past three or four years, the idea of working anywhere is as second nature as brushing one's teeth. Our world has changed, and as someone who has been using a cellular/mobile phone for what feels like 30 years, and who has had his own phone for 40 plus years, one can only look ahead at what being mobile has done for us.
For starters its created freedom for many. No longer bound to desks, offices and meeting rooms, we are now working in many more places. Once thought to be only for sweatshops, the idea of a giant communal workspace is being fueled by the fact that people talk less but use text more. This has given rise to IM, SMS, third party apps, services like HipChat, Slack and more. Connectivity via the Internet, both wired and wireless at speeds that are over 1000 times faster than my first 300 baud modem are just around the corner for many of us.
Video conferencing, once only ready for the boardroom is now available to just about anyone using any number of services. Conference calling, once the bane of group participation is now sounding better as HD Voice is part of some services like GoToMeeting, ZipDX and Voxeet. VoIP, once taboo compared to circuit switched telephony is now so widely deployed it's begging for the major telephone providers to all work together to insure seamless, high quality audio, rapid connection times, and more services as part of you plan vs. third parties who provide just that.
The devices and "things" we take with us are also getting better. My keys are tracked by my iPhone as is my wallet and billfold. Leave my iPad in a cab or shopping cart? I'll find it and have it back in thirty minutes or less. Devices like TrackR and TILE are always telling me where my THINGS are so as I get older, forgetful (or is that mind too busy) I can locate them quickly, send a signal to them, or in the case of a lost smartphone or tablet, wipe them out and not worry about what's on them.
When it comes to travel, our boarding passes and reservations are now electronic. This makes changing flights and hotels faster. Why we can't pay less is because the yield management tools are geared to getting everything lined up as far in advance as possible, and hotels, trains and planes operators have not yet mastered just in time travel the way McDonalds has nailed down their supply and staffing systems. Toss in security and the layers of what's possible just isn't there yet.
The hotel concierge, once the expert on dinner, theatre, shopping and sights to see are having their roles changed to. Today they need to know as much about Uber, TaskRabbit, Fiverr, Washio and other on demand services. Local on demand services is where the hotel concierge used to excel, but as online has replaced the phone book, and as Uber has replaced the cab, you can order just about anything overnight, and now with GrubHub, Delivery.com, Doorstep Delivery and other "local" services, what the guest's needs from the concierge and doormen has changed.
So too has the technology in our rooms. Televisions of old never let you plug in, but now an Apple TV or Google Chromecast can make you in room TV an in room extension of your Mac, PC, smartphone or tablet. This means your room is now your office on the go, and instead of having to go hunt down a Starbucks in hopes of a "work place" or venture out to a Regus location, you can work in silence in your sweatsuit, getting things done. Technology now tells the hotel chambermaid if you're in, or out, so no more knocks on the door when you're in deep thought, or on that important call.
We now can be working anywhere, and I should know, as I wrote this over breakfast at SNOOZE AM, in Del Mar Highlands on my MacBook Air, connected via a Verizon Mobile Broadband device running LTE.....
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