The Internet created amazing power for people to communicate from anywhere, and to do so inexpensively. Look how video conferencing made face-to-face meetings simple and economical. This has empowered each of us to do more by doing it the way we want to conduct our work. E-Power was born with that empowerment. We embrace this technology and the new power it gives us.
I started E-Power Marketing in Chicago, but soon moved the agency to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The Internet made it possible to support clients coast-to-coast and around the world from anywhere; and in the process give each of us choices on how and where we want to live and work. Fulfilling that technology-enabled capability, E-Power Marketing made working remotely a cultural choice for our team. No longer do we need to waste time fighting through commuter traffic congestion, and instead enjoy a higher quality of life. We live where we want to live, while working where we live, and thus giving us more time for our families and friends.
The freedom and flexibility of work at home is an attractive perk to high-skill employees. The result is E-Power Marketing attracting expert marketing talent who love working together.
E-Power Team Thrives on Work At Home
Employers often worry that employees will goof off if they are working at home rather than in an office setting. Maybe they are. But does it matter if the work gets done at 1 AM or 1 PM, as long as the work gets done?
For those who don’t live 10 minutes from the office like I do, work at home eliminates commute time. That’s no small matter, especially with traffic congestion getting worse just about everywhere.
The fact is, the E-Power team is grateful to have the flexibility. Their work/life balance is much improved and working from home makes it easier for them to put family first. E-Power makes the importance of each of our families a critical part of our culture. Family obligations often happen during 9 to 5. Does it really impact us or our clients when Andrea watches her daughter run cross country at 4 PM and chooses to get work done at 10 PM? Rather than taking time off, the team can do their jobs early or late in the day. And everyone is happier in the end.
The top benefit the team tells me is that work at home results in less stress. One thing for sure about contemporary work environments is that they create stress.
How Work At Home Helps Our Clients
Work at home benefits carry on to our clients across the country who enjoy digital marketing programs with consistency and continuity. The flexibility of work at home enables E-Power’s account team to adjust and talk to clients at times that work best for our clients, no matter where they are.
Studies show employees are more productive with work at home. Employees hit the ground running as soon as the coffee kicks in, rather than wasting time and energy fighting traffic. They deliver higher-quality client assignments that are completed quicker, which means costs savings for clients.
Our communication skills as a team are stronger. Online collaboration tools provide technology that improve teamwork, efficiencies, and meeting deadlines. We became more engaged with each other and our clients. We’re more thoughtful, productive, and effective communicators.
More independence and time mean everyone can give a higher priority to ongoing research. We attend more webinars and podcasts. We read more industry resources and blogs. After all digital marketing is a constantly changing, complex discipline. So we have more time to keep up our skills.
One potential downside is the erosion of team cohesion. E-Power fights that by everyone coming to the office every month or two for fun team-building activities. Yesterday we had a great time at The Little Farmer, where we enjoyed the autumn colors, navigating through the corn maze, and delighting in the delicious treats such as caramel apples and muffins. Everyone within a short driving distance comes in once each week. These times together are more meaningful because seeing your colleagues are fresh experiences, instead of a daily routine where you become used to seeing the same people and dealing with distractions.
Work at home works for E-Power Marketing. Happier, more productive employees deliver effective client programs more efficiently. It’s win-win all around.
