When COVID hit…it kind of forced companies to allow that (remote work) a little bit. And I think that really opened the doors a little bit more for some of these brilliant, educated, experienced military spouses who often don’t get the same opportunities because they’re constantly moving.
– Catherine’s views on COVID’s impact on remote work for military spouses
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Meet Catherine, Clinical Project Manager & Military Spouse
Catherine is our guest this episode and she is a Clinical Project Manager for a clinical research and regulatory solutions provider. She and her husband live in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina on the US Marine Corps base. As a military spouse, Catherine provided valuable insights as to how remote work has been valuable to her and her family in providing stability with respect to income, career growth and the relationships and projects her company provides.
On this episode, we talk about:
- Catherine’s perspectives as a military spouse and how remote work gives her flexibility to manage domestic and possible global moves with the military.
- She talks about adhering to a macro diet which recommends smaller, more frequent meals and how working from home is more suitable to that eating plan.
- Catherine talks about her passion for her job and how she does not need a clear separation from her home office and her home. She values the flexibility she has and likes the ability to start her day early or do a little more work after traditional office hours if she has a burst of creativity.
- We talk about how she explains to her dad the concept of remote work and the generational gaps between working a traditional 8-hour day, 40-hour week and the asynchronous and flexibility with remote work.
- Catherine highlights the positive impacts work from home roles offers the associates and the organization with regards to diversity and the varying cultures and backgrounds others can bring.
- Also, we talk about Catherine’s connection with our previous guest, Erin, from episode 1.4!
If you want to connect with Catherine, you can find her on LinkedIn.
Here’s a link to that 2017 US Chamber of Commerce Foundation study we cited in the episode that highlighted the impacts to military spouses and employment.
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Q & A with Catherine
Why did you want to Work From Home Forever?
- I have many reasons, but to be brief here. I am a military spouse. I am an introvert. I am a morning person. I love to travel. I plan to live in a remote location permanently. I love efficiency and maintaining a level of control. I think fewer cars on the road is a good thing. I eat every 3 hours and its easier to do at home. I hate dressing up. I could probably go on.
How long have you been Working From Home, Forever?
- I have been full time WFH for 5 years. Prior to that I spent 2.5 days a week working from home while spending the rest of the week in the office.
What trade offs, if any, did you make in order to Work From Home Forever?
- I may need to think harder about this, but I do not feel I made any tradeoffs. Anything that would be considered a “tradeoff” was swapped out for something I would call improvement.
How do you manage work/life balance Working From Home, Forever?
- Many ways. I am a morning person. I get up early and go to bed 8:30-9pm at night whenever possible. Working from home allows me to maximize my best hours on this schedule. I also set priorities and stick to them. I have a list of priorities in my home/family life that I ensure happen every single day. And working from home allows me to almost never give those things up. Even if they need to occur at different times of day due to work, I am still able to be complete them all every day. For some, they need to draw a hard line when working from home… for me? I like the blurry line.
What’s your best advice to others who want to Work From Home Forever?
- Know yourself. Know your priorities. Make sure you love your job. Know what gives you energy and what takes your energy. Make sure you family treats your WFH as a priority – meaning they don’t interrupt, respect your space/work hours, etc.
What are your three must-haves to Work From Home, Forever?
- Healthy work space (whatever that means for you, for me it is windows/light, my dog, big monitors, and a fan), a quality/cordless headset, and giant notepad/dry erase board.
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