Aussie lifestyle joins the dots for remote workers

Harry Harrison, a UK-born Sydney-based head of product for professional networking platform The Dots, attributes Australia’s success as a remote work destination to the balance between professional and personal life, particularly through flexibility in work arrangements.

“Having the flexibility to enjoy everything Sydney has to offer has been great. The beaches, coastal walks and cafes are world class but they’re even easier to appreciate in a more relaxed manner without the weekend crowds,” says the father of two.

When the pandemic hit, The Dots’ management was quick to recognise the benefits of remote work, not just during the pandemic but as a long-term strategy.

“This made it feasible for me to work from anywhere without compromising my role,” says Harrison.

“My wife is Australian and I had lived here for many years before moving to London so we knew what the Australian lifestyle offered. We have two children and the chance for them to enjoy that along with reconnecting with some of their close family was too great an opportunity to miss.”

Remote work is not without challenges, says Harrison.

“Keeping a clear line between work and home life is an ongoing challenge that I’ve had to constantly fine-tune. Over the years, I’ve tried different approaches. I started off with a serviced office space for part of my week, but more recently, I’ve shifted back to working from a dedicated home office. Stepping into the office feels like starting work rather than just walking into another room in the house.”

And Harrison’s advice for people considering remote work in Australia?

“Whether you’re working from home, a shared office or the local cafe, make sure you’ve got the right technology and equipment to support your work - especially a reliable and quick internet connection (with a backup service if you can). Once you’ve got your workspace sorted and established a daily routine, don’t forget to embrace the flexibility.

“Spend time with your family, enjoy the outdoors, stay fit and keep things under review to make sure your routine is meeting your needs and your work commitments.”

Harrison says that in the space of a few years, remote work has become an integral part of our work culture.

“It’s not for everyone or every company but I believe that trend is here to stay,” he says.

“As technology continues to evolve, I anticipate a more seamless transition between the office and remote work which will open up flexible work arrangements across more sectors.”

Christopher McNamara, chief revenue officer at Remote, says there’s a growing preference for remote work among jobseekers.

“Remote work is preferred by jobseekers, and remote employees are happier, more engaged, and less likely to quit. Those have real financial and economic benefits to businesses,” says McNamara.

“Access to technology, like Zoom and Slack, has made remote collaboration more feasible. Asynchronous work practices and hybrid approaches are also becoming more common.”

This shift allows teams to collaborate asynchronously across time zones, breaking free from traditional synchronous work constraints.

Flexible working conditions also hold a unique appeal for working parents – particularly mothers.

“Remote work has afforded opportunities to groups that have historically had more difficulty gaining equitable access to employment.”

The flexibility to manage professional responsibilities alongside family commitments is a powerful benefit for working parents - often valued more than monetary compensation.

In return, this support can yield increased productivity and loyalty among employees.

This flexibility also provides a strategic advantage for nimble startups and ambitious SMBs, enabling smaller companies to level the playing field.

“Employees are opting for roles with flexible working conditions over higher paying alternatives,” says McNamara.

By offering flexible work arrangements, startups and SMBs can attract and retain elite global talent, capitalising on the fact that many professionals prioritise work-life balance over higher salaries.

One Stanford study shows that remote workers save on average 72 minutes a day, on their commute, he says.

“So they’re saving a bit over an hour a day on their commute to work and those remote workers reallocate that time 40 per cent to work and 60 per cent to their personal life,” says McNamara.

“Which means employers are benefitting from this additional unlocking of productive time and the employees are benefitting from having this latitude to invest additional time in their lives.

“It could be time with their kids or time on their personal hobbies and pursuits. But that flexibility affords them the ability to focus on the things that are valuable to them outside of work that results in higher levels of job satisfaction, and high levels of employee retention.”

McNamara says he expects improvements to broadband in regional areas thanks to SpaceX’s satellites to crush the digital divide.

“We anticipate that we will continue to see improved access to broadband internet in remote Australia, and that is a key enabler of remote work for knowledge workers.

“As an economy where we’re seeing a gradual shift towards knowledge work here in Australia. And the more that our national and state governments do to encourage that shift the more prevalent we’re going to see remote work versus work that is based exclusively in office or co-located.

“That is also part of the equation that’s not only here in Australia that internationally is going to shape the face of work over the next 5 to 10 years.”

Talent is everywhere — opportunity is not. Remote’s mission is to create opportunity everywhere, empowering employers to find and hire the best talent, and enabling individuals to build financial and personal freedom. Businesses around the world use Remote to hire, manage, and pay their globally distributed workforces, simply and compliantly. Remote was founded in 2019 by Job van der Voort and Marcelo Lebre, and is backed by leading investors including SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Accel, Sequoia, Index Ventures, Two Sigma Ventures, General Catalyst, and B Capital. To learn more, check out remote.com.