THE INSIDE STORY
How telecommuting and home base business is reshaping our ideas of work.
WORK@HOME BY SARAH BUTLAND
Photos by Steve Smith VisionFire Studios
B
y the looks of their faces and warmth of their smiles, working from home for both Dan Langille and Marilyn Roy is a lot different than having to do ‘homework’. I caught up with Dan at the Harbour House Ales & Spirits in Pictou to celebrate Independence Day and I realized how fitting that was considering his ability to work from anywhere. Dan officially had the day off based on following American holidays for ease of doing business with his employer. He’s been working from home for about thirteen years, starting when the concept was new to most companies and employees. He is now a veteran of the Microsoft partner ecosystem. His job as VP of business development for the software giant allows him to thrive with the close collaboration between his colleagues and the Microsoft personnel from his home office in Lyons Brook, Pictou County. “Understanding telecommuting is an important for the long-term economic viability of our region because it provides evidence that people do not need to leave to gain lucrative employment. Telecommuting allows anyone to have the best of both worlds – a laid back east coast life style and a “big city” salary,” he says. Dan’s transition into this emerging realm of employment was an evolution like many others. He was tired of The North Shore
Telecommuting from home base in Lyons Brook. A work environment that is become more a norm for professional people like Dan Langille, VP of Business Development for QUADROTech a division of Microsoft partner ecosystem.
travelling to his office in Halifax when he and his growing family lived in Lantz, he began testing the waters of staying home to work, doing so one or two days per week, and quickly got a taste for it. By the relaxed conversation and his positive demeanor I could tell it was the best for him, too, and he didn’t have to tell me directly. Marilyn Roy was much the same way when she invited me into her home that is nestled into a quiet property on Mt.Thom. The splashes of colour from her garden continued into her office with warm walls made vibrant with pictures of her family and a collection of straw sun hats. Continuing to be professional, her
office was made her own and the warmth of her spirit was evident while still being workplace functional.Working at Sobeys for twenty-nine years she “accidentally” fell into being the event planner for many corporate celebrations and conferences. As fate would have it, she fell in love with the chaos that comes with ensuring the minutest of details were taken care of and company executives were quickly convinced she was the best person for the role. Marilyn is a great example of everything happening for a reason as her experience with a large corporation taught her more about herself than any other experience could.Taking home
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