1. March 2023
Julia Kriegel

Family Friendly Business

Remote work has developed into a buzzword, a term that is closely linked to the concept of “new work”: Home office, no more commuting, no more meetings in stuffy conference rooms but video conferencing and virtual meetings. Self-determined work on the one hand – loss of control for management, sweatpants mentality and lack of team culture on the other. At the latest since COVID-19, remote work has also been possible in companies that successfully resisted it before the pandemic – and today, most of them would like to return to the old on-site structure as quickly as possible.

The VAST FORWARD view: For companies, remote work offers enormous potential for success! Satisfied employees who can work in a home office regardless of location are much more concentrated and motivated, for example, because their private lives and jobs can be better coordinated and the pressure to perform is reduced.

Internationally, management consultancies also recommend offering hybrid or remote working models in the battle for the best employees (Quelle: Capgemini).

For many companies, “new work” still means a whole new mindset. However, factors such as the development of employees’ potential, work-life balance, flexible work arrangements (trust-based working hours and locations), and the involvement of employees in decision-making are becoming increasingly important with young service providers.

The VAST FORWARD view: For companies, remote work offers enormous potential for success!

Remote work was not yet a “hype” when VAST FORWARD was in the starting blocks in 2008. Since our founding, we have developed a very open approach to mandatory attendance, not least because of the network structure that makes our services scalable and robust.

The year 2015 marks the year in which we took the consequent remote path – founder Maren moved to a sailing boat with her partner Matthias. Our team structures and the collaboration with our network and clients, now had to function at a distance only.

Today, in February 2023, we can say that our system is still subject to constant development. At the same time, all development steps are always taken as a team, which naturally contributes new ideas and new, individual requirements with new employees.

Location independence is an important criterion for the team, no one has to commute or has to be present in an office at a set times, everyone is free to organize their everyday life to suit their lifestyle.

And since we are often asked about the compatibility between work and family in terms of remote work, we want to go deeper into the question in this blog post. According to a survey by the Hans Böckler Foundation, 77% of respondents agree that remote work makes it easier to balance family with ones’ career (Source: Statista).

But what do the mothers at VAST FORWARD have to say to that? How do they structure their home office routine with their child(ren)? We have compiled the best tips and tricks, the advantages and disadvantages of working remotely alongside child(ren) and family in this blog post.

About the ladies: 

Franziska Krenz lives in Leipzig with her two daughters and her dog Nobi. One of her daughters already lives in her own apartment, the younger daughter still lives at home with Franzi. Franzi has been working at VAST FORWARD since 2018 and lives her remote working life in close interaction between work and family. We asked Franzi what benefits she sees in working from a home office for herself and her family. We also wanted to know if she thinks everyday life would be more difficult for her in a ‘normal’ office job, or if it would sometimes be easier to disappear into an office….

Maria Trommer is the “youngest” mother in the team and has been with VAST FORWARD since 2018. Maria now lives in Dresden with her partner and daughter. Before that, she lived alternately in Paris and Barcelona and lived the freedom and independence of our remote way of working to the fullest. But even now with a toddler, Maria sees many advantages to working from home. We asked Maria how they divide up their family in terms of day-to-day tasks.

Simone Bang-Christensen knew the perks of remote work before she had children, having joined VAST FORWARD as a project manager back in 2012. Simone has been a mother of two little boys for a few years now and has been living on the Danish island of Ærø with her family and their animals for the past year. We asked her how she incorporates all of her children’s activities into her everyday life and from where she draws the strength to manage family, household & co. alongside work.

In the interviews, we could hear that the way we work is suitable for different life models. Whether we work from a sailboat, like VAST FORWARD founder Maren and Matthias, or whether we want to combine family and work in more traditional life models – mobile/remote working makes it possible.

Sure, there are important elements that VAST FORWARD has to provide for this. And remote work is not a no-brainer for all of us in the team, but a form of work that challenges the entire team again and again on various levels. What helps us to successfully shape this freer model together are, among other things, shared values, fixed routines, communication – and a great will to be flexible.

Interview Questions

Simone

  • Simone, you are a mother of 2 little boys, certainly the two of them set quite the pace in your everyday life with care/school and their activities – do you have any other rituals of your own that make the interaction between work and family easier for you?
  • Where do you draw your strength from to master family, household & Co.?

Franzi

  • Franzi, you have two daughters, the big one has just moved into her first apartment, the second one lives with you as a teenager: what advantages do you see for yourself and your family in working from home and how do you specifically organize your everyday life as a mother in our remotely structured company?
  • Do you think your everyday life would be more difficult in a ‘normal’ office job? And what points do you think would be different, maybe even better?

Maria

  • Maria, you have a full-time job and you are a mom of a little daughter. You knew about working remotely at Vast Forward before you became a mom: what appeals to you most about working in a home office today? And are there points that you also find challenging?
  • How do you split your time in the family, in terms of day-to-day tasks?