"MOBILE WORK"

“MOBILE WORK”
THE PROS AND CONS OF WORK RELATED TRAVEL

Tiffany Crawford provides us an “Inner View.”
Something about traveling conjures up thoughts of rapture and adventurism in the minds of most people. It could very well be the long awaited break from work and/or school that both hard working families and singles eagerly anticipate. Maybe it’s the mystery of exploring unbeknownst territory that excites venture amongst voyagers. I am sure that there are many reasons that speak to the desire to journey outside of ones daily typical functions.

Have you ever wondered about making your job one that would allow unlimited travel opportunities? If affirmed, then imagine making frequent traveling your job. Some employers and employees refer to this phenomenon as “mobile work”; others call it “travel work”. Sounds like fun huh?

Today’s technological advancements have allowed skilled employees ample autonomy in deciding where and when to work. It is believed that “clocking in” will soon be an obsolete practice for the future workforce. Organizational downsizing has become the norm throughout many global corporations.

The approximate number of U.S. mobile workers is 68% and has been guesstimated to rise to 75% by 2011. According to Sun Microsystems’ survey, it affirms, “Mobile work is fast becoming the way we work. Industry analysts at IDC predict that the number of mobile workers worldwide will increase to one billion, or about one in four of the total global workforce.”

There are many jobs that involve both international and domestic travel; some of which include athletic recruiter, software installer or trainer, public speaker, travel registered nurse, cruise line position, flight attendant, merchandise buyer, chefs, travel tour guide, language instructor, journalist, consultant, construction, makeup artist, fashion model, music artist, travel writer, pharmaceutical sales rep and military personnel just to name a few. Because of the likelihood of interacting with a variety of people, personalities that exhibit extroversion and independence are significant qualities for the travel worker. Recent studies reveal that 85% of employees would much rather perform in nontraditional work environments.

However, a survey administered by Sun Microsystems show that only 60% are fit for jobs that demands travel as a major part of ones job duty. While the same study fails to reveal exactly why 25% of those who desire nontraditional work arrangements are not fit for such employment, it is safe to imagine that this population of wishful employees is embedded in a very traditional society that still deems travel as an activity that occurs during vacation. So, as the world strives to catch up with new and improved technology, the management of this new workforce continues to be a challenge left in the hands of organizational psychologist and developers determined to increase employee retention and job satisfaction.

Human resource representatives and mobile work management continues training in stress intervention amongst employees who depend on technical tools to get the job done. It has been stressed how significant it is to establish “workers on the go” with supportive communicative means, in addition to assisting them to achieve a healthy work-life balance in the absence of peer support. Technology equipment that is appropriate and dependable is central to optimal job performance. The basic “mobile office” gear consists of a mobile phone, a laptop computer, remote access to the company network and the World Wide Web. On the human side of it all, experts suggests that stratagems are used to avoid feeling of isolation that travel workers are more likely to experience compared to the traditional employee who travels between home and office.

It’s refreshing and very assuring to know that there is a set of laws in existence to offer work guidelines and labor protection for career travelers. Such policy depends on whether an employee is covered by or exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Travel work is governed under title 5 rules-in particular; a list of rules that cover FLSA regulations, which in turn addresses employee coverage, travel work hours, official work stations, overtime work and the administrative workweek, just to name a few.

TIFFANY CRAWFORD’S STORY AS A “WORKER ON THE GO”

An inside look at Tiffany Crawford’ s work lifestyle and surprising travel work related reality as a Software Consultant who travels for a living, will offer insight on some of the issues that are experienced by people who travel for a living. Tiffany, a young graduate of engineering from the University of California Berkeley, enjoys international and domestic travels. Before accepting the role of a travel consultant for Deloitte Consultant Firm, Tiffany had visited Panama, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica and many domestic states for pleasure and educational opportunities.

Although Tiffany now takes advantage of the perks accompanied with work and play, she admits that there are associated stress factors, which jeopardize her interest in Travel work.

AN INNER VIEW

Q&A: with Tiffany Crawford

Q: How do you like work related travel? And what has been your experience.

A: “It’s ok. It certainly has its pros. On weekends there’s ultimate travel, which means, we can go anywhere we want; as long as it’s the same price or cheaper then going back home; or we can pay the difference.”

Tiffany enthusiastically shares that she often enjoys the option to remain local during her travel work assignment, with hotel and food paid for; connecting with old friends motivates her decision to explore locally.


OPPOSITES ATTRACK:The Con

On the other hand, Tiffany exposes the bitter truth of her career as a travel consultant. After explaining all the benefits that have kept Tiffany employed for two consecutive years with Deloitte, she truthfully admits “It gets tiring after a while.” She insists, “It’s fun for about three months, but flying on planes, living out of a suit case and in and out of hotels is tiring on the body.”
Tiffany talks of how demanding such a job can be. This being the case, there is a high turn over rate. On average, a travel consultant last at the most, five years.

Q: What advice would you give to someone considering joining a “mobile work” force?

These words effortlessly rolled off her tongue.

A: “Know what you need and state your demand, in terms of travel, work/life balance and diet.”

Tiffany spoke of how much weight she gained as a result of eating out and working long hours and recalls how one of her partners gained thirty pounds from eating on the go as a travel employee. For this reason, Tiffany strongly maintains her stance on keeping on track with diet and fitness and the ability to communicate such expectations to consultant partners.

Ultimately, Tiffany asserts that ideal career travelers are respected as a consequence of making such expectations clear as a travel consultant.
Tiffany Crawford speaks very highly of the many bonuses that accommodate her lifestyle as a “mobile worker”. For Tiffany, it’s a great way to meet many people and explore new cities throughout Northern and Southern California, and Washington State, which are her selected regions.

A CAREER CHOICE TO CONSIDER

Hopefully, you have gained an insightful perspective on some work related travels to consider before jumping into the world of “Workers on the go”. We have learned that venturing out of the ordinary physical work environment and routine functionalities as a travel worker can be an adventurous journey and a challenging experience that is short lived. There is no question that individuals who travel for a living will have varied interest and expectations as it relates to career choice, salary, work location, perks and long-term goals as traveler on duty.

When asked of Tiffany’s expected ending date of employment with Deloitte, she shares that she made a promise to herself to commit two years. As of this coming July, Tiffany plans on seeking a typical 9-5 position as a non-traveling consultant.






Photo and Article by, Sultanah Corbett