I have long been described by others as an “agent of change” or as one who is not afraid of change.  So, granted, I find it a bit challenging to understand those who are afraid of change.  I just don’t get it.  Why wouldn’t you want to try something new to see if it’s better?  To see if others like it more or if it helps you in a different way?

I’m challenging myself in 2016 to try 52 new things.  That might not sound too challenging for someone who loves change, but I hope you will stay tuned to my adventures.  I’ll be turning 52 years old in 2016, so this is my “52 at 52”.

My challenge to you is to do something new in 2016 yourself.  Whether it’s for you personally, a team, your family or your company, take it on!

Here’s one idea to think about; 80-90-% of the US workforce would like to work remotely at least part-time; only 38% of US employers allow even some employees to work remotely on a regular basis.  Only 3% of US workers work remotely but 50% of US workers had jobs compatible with some remote work (all statistics from Global Workplace Analytics as reported in Inc. magazine, December 2015.

I have worked remotely for 6 years, and Purple Ink has 4 employees who work remotely every day (2 others are onsite at clients), so the statistics previously noted seem crazy to me; I can’t imagine NOT working remotely now.   I’ll admit, I was initially concerned about it for me personally, and then again as I started hiring employees.  Would I be productive?  Would employees?  Would I be happy with this work style?  Would our team?  It was definitely a big change for each of us.  Fortunately, it has worked well for everyone; a few weeks ago I wrote about gratitude, and almost everyone on the Purple Ink team was thankful for the opportunity to work remotely!

Have you ever asked to work remotely, even just at certain times?  Would your teams actually be more productive if they worked remotely?  Maybe working remotely does NOT make sense for your business, but think about what might, and give it a try.  Set a goal in 2016 to think about working differently or join me in my 52 at 52!  Let’s be open to ideas and some change in 2016!