Does your highly productive workday unfold with your dog’s head in your lap, the fire roaring and your feet toasty in their slippers? If so, you’re not alone.

The shift to working from home was gathering pace before the Covid-19 pandemic but has now accelerated. PWC believes around 20-30 percent of office workers will primarily work from home as part of the new normal, up from 5 percent in pre-pandemic times.

It’s not a trend confined to the big cities. Here in Central Otago there’s growing evidence that there’s an army of remote workers behind closed doors.

That’s why Think Drinks has invited three panellists to lead a discussion on how to make remote working actually work.

Emily Walters from Ezy Consents, Emma Diver from Balanced Books and Emma Scarlett from Xerra will share their experiences and advice about being outside the traditional workforce.

But what is a remote worker? There are early adopters like Emma Scarlett who has been working in, and directing, a fully distributed team from Alexandra since 2018. Others have moved into working from home due to the restrictions of Covid-19. Some, like Emily and Emma Diver, are self-employed– from their Central Otago bases, they service clients across New Zealand.

Employers, employees and the self-employed have seen that work can be done efficiently and effectively remotely, one of the good things to have come out of the pandemic, according to Emma Scarlett.

That’s not to say remote work is all roses and chocolates.

Remote workers just experience workplace issues differently to traditional office workers.

Employment New Zealand points out that when shifting to remote work employment agreements, health and safety, equipment and expenses, monitoring and privacy, and information and data security all must be considered. Emma Scarlett stresses the need for “intentional communication” including occasional face-to-face time.

As well as realistically addressing practical arrangements, remote workers need to evaluate whether remote work is the right fit for them.

“Sometimes working remotely and not as a part of a typical team can be isolating,” says Emily. “I have a few tips and tricks that I’d like to share which have helped me address and overcome issues like occasionally feeling unmotivated.”

Once implemented successfully, remote work opens up possibilities.

For Emma Scarlett that means “fewer restrictions on where we can live” while holding down interesting jobs. Similarly, Emily is hopeful that “we’re getting to a point where companies are after quality candidates and their location isn’t as pertinent, because they are open to and have the capabilities for staff to work remotely.” Consequently, people won’t feel pressure to leave the region to find their dream job.

Remote work also allows people to focus on lifestyle, “choosing family and flexibility when deciding on work,” says Emma Diver.

Whether you are a remote worker, an aspiring remote worker or an employer managing remote staff, Think Drinks is the place to be Wednesday 20th July.

Think Drinks, Panel discussion on How to Make Remote Working Work, Wednesday 20th July, 4.30pm, Oliver’s, Clyde.