Only a leap from the lion's head...

I often get asked how I ended up working from home full time, so let's tell that story:

I had been with my employer for around 6 years and worked my way up to the highly sought-after management role that came with the even more coveted office. You know the one - The space with 4 real walls and a door that opens and closes. No longer in the open floor cube farm. I even had a window! Life was good.

My leader then changed to one with a more agile, modern view of the world, which led to the ability to periodically work from home. Those sporadic occasions turned into a committed one-day a week at home. And in preparation for a changing and more dynamic work space, that crept up to two days a week.

We had heard that our new work space would be "agile", meaning more flexible for the people working a few days at home. Less dedicated space, more collaboration space. Our little slice of the south was starting to sound more like Silicon Valley. Who wouldn't be excited?!

It was time to move, and our new digs weren't ready, and we were to be placed in temporary housing. The only problem was that due to its temp nature, there was very little space to go around (and it wasn't all that pretty either!) To condense space, some teams were asked if they would be willing to go all-in on being "agile" - meaning no dedicated desks, reduced footprint, and more time at home. Since this was going to be the wave of the future, and my team liked to think we were trendsetters, we volunteered.

Our temp space took us down to less than half of the desks we had before. And as for me, I lost my glorious office. So here we were, in a wicked game of musical chairs where the music had stopped and there weren't enough seats. We created a schedule for our little area documenting who was coming into the office on which days, because too many people would mean someone was sitting on the floor. We got the equipment set up at each cube so that no matter what type of machine you connected with, you'd be able to work from any of our desks. We created lockers for people to pack up all of their personal items at the end of the day. We basically created a hotel and reservation system.

The result was an increase in the number of days people were at home. But some other interesting ramifications sprouted up. People felt like they were homeless nomads. Whether at work or at home, each day you would have to pack up everything. You were never rooted. Especially in the office, where that wasn't "your" desk, and someone else would be there tomorrow. People wasted time setting up and tearing down each day to promote the clean desk guidelines in the office. And moreover, people weren't getting the benefit of being physically present in the work space because their coworkers weren't there when they were.

This led to the question: "If I never see the people I work with, what is the value of coming to the office?"

That was a pivotal point. I felt the same as my team. So we began to ask that question to leaders and let our feelings be known. With understanding and support from a great leader, we went off the grid. My team became unofficially full-time at-home workers. No one else knew about it. We were conducting an experiment. Could we keep our business partners satisfied with their service from home? Let's not tell them and find out...

Obviously we know how the story ends. Customers said they received better service. There was no negative reaction when people found out. And the rest is history. Four years of working from home later, and it still works.

So now you know. But so what? Why does my story matter? I took a leap of faith. My team was piloting that "agile" work space notion. The infrastructure wasn't ready. The culture wasn't ready. Many days were very tough emotionally and productivity-wise. Each day was a surprise battle waiting. Simply put, those initial "agile" weeks downright sucked.

We knew it wasn't ready and jumped in anyway. We struggled daily, but didn't give up. We took a leap of faith that, while we didn't see it then, a net would appear and catch us if we fell. "Only a leap from the lion's head will he prove his worth." For those that know this quote, you will also recall that after this leap of faith, waiting on the other end was the Holy Grail. And sure enough, so was ours.

I never thought that working in an "agile" environment would lead to being at home full time, and the movement that started thereafter. I never thought I'd become an evangelist for work-at-home or a guide to so many. I never thought that my life would have changed so much for the better. All because I took a deep breath and leapt.

Don't Fade Away

We've all had those work relationships where your coworkers become your best friends and family. Heck, you often see them more than your other friends and family! You talk everyday about what is going on in each other's lives, you eat lunch together, you celebrate life's big moments, you create inside jokes, and often you choose to hang out after hours as a result. These coworkers aren't just people you work with, they are your people. Or, so you think...

When you change jobs, do these relationships stick? Are they ever the same? Usually you exchange email addresses and may friend each other on Facebook and promise to stay in touch. You may even do so for a while. But there's something different. And, over time, that person who you considered near and dear is all but a memory. You didn't want to cut them out. You didn't actively do anything to "break up" with them. So what happened?

Most work relationships are formed out of convenience. Because you are sitting next to someone every day, it's easy to talk to them, see their photos, notice changes in their appearance, and share in casual downtime moments. You didn't have to work for it. And the minute you, or they, did - well, that's just too much effort! You transitioned from convenient to conscious.

This same thing happens to relationships when you move from an in-office worker to an at-home worker. (It's even harder when you never started in the office and are building off nothing!) Your relationship with your coworkers and even your leaders was often convenient. Staff meetings were in person. Lunches were physical gatherings. Pictures were real photos hanging on your cube wall. Hugs and handshakes were shared. Your relationship had tangible components within an arms reach and mindless recognition.

Now that you are at home, each of these interactions is harder. You may feel like you are losing touch, and the people you thought were your closest friends are now out of sight, out of mind. How do you keep your relationships from dwindling away and becoming just another memory? There are two primary components to keeping what you had (or starting something new): Convenience and Effort.

We have already established that many of these relationships formed out of convenience in the first place. It stands to reason that keeping them alive must also be convenient. It is important to create an environment where relationships are welcome and come naturally. Some ideas:

• Call instead of email. Your voice, tone, inflection, accent, etc. share information about you with others and establish a human connection.
• Use your video camera. Take it up a notch and add real video chat instead of just a phone call. Software and hardware that are easy to use and readily available are the keys to making this as natural as traditional face-to-face conversations.
• Allow time in your meetings for chatter. Start your meeting with casual conversation, catching up or getting to know those on the line. You already have people on the phone, which makes it truly convenient to interact and reestablish those relationships.
• Utilize social networking applications, and mobile ones where available. These are already second nature to most people, so using these tools is meeting people where they are already engaging.
• Employ other modern communication techniques such as instant message and text. These are quick and easy, and another solution already common practice in personal communications.

Let's face it. No matter how convenient you make it, there will still be effort involved. It's just not the same casual convenience you had before. Both parties must have a desire to keep (or build) the relationship. A fire will die out if not tended.

With a little bit of effort and convenient communal areas, you can keep your relationships just as strong as they were when you previously sat next to your coworker. You may even find that your relationship is deeper and more meaningful as a result of intentional interaction as opposed to convenient conversions.