Working Remotely - Insights From Our Global Team - Mexico

Remote work has now become the norm for most businesses. In 2020 a lot of people had to work remotely for the first time in their lives because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We see the trend continuing in 2022 looking at recent political events such as the unprovoked war of Russia against Ukraine.

Since Mexico's borders are open, a lot of people have the chance to try out the digital nomad lifestyle and as it turns out, many employers don't care where you work as long as you get the job done.

In Mexico, remote work is booming, with more and more employees requesting remote work or a hybrid form of remote work. In fact, reports show that Mexico is the fastest-growing remote work hub with cities like Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum as top destinations to move as a digital nomad.

While there are still a few things to work out to ensure the experience is effective and seamless, the Mexican government recently passed a law giving employers new obligations in connection to remote working or teleworking. These obligations include an agreed-upon inspection of the place where remote work will take place to validate safety and health conditions, as well as the obligation to pay remote employees a monthly fee to cover internet costs.

One thing to note if you are considering remote work in Mexico is that if you are an employee under standard contract following the guidelines of Mexico’s Labor law, your taxes will be deducted by your employer. If you are a project-based employee or freelancer, you will need to pay your own taxes as stipulated by Mexican law.

My remote journey began more than 10 years ago, working for an IT company with a shortage of offices. We created a schedule so that everyone in the company worked at least two days from home to cope with the growing numbers of employees and I quickly realized that working from home fit my style of getting work done the most.

While there are benefits of going to the office, I’m more comfortable and productive at home. And I get it, remote work is not for everybody, but I feel I get a lot more work done than if I went to an office (I’ve tried it!), and most importantly, I enjoy the balance I achieve between work and my personal life.

Some of the biggest advantages I get out of working from home are:

• Greater work/life balance
• No commute times
• Less office distractions
• Increased productivity
• Schedule flexibility
• Greater savings
• No ties to a specific city or region
• Greater creative control over home office space
• Work on a global setting

Some of the biggest drawbacks I experience from working from home are:

• Lack of social interaction with colleagues
• Overworking or not setting clear boundaries
• Different time zones

Over the years, I’ve perfected what works for me to amplify the benefits, avoid the drawbacks as much as possible, manage my time, and be self-disciplined. Here are some of my best practices of working from home:

• I have a dedicated office space in my home that helps separate my personal life from work.
• I have daily checkpoints with my colleagues even if it’s just for a few minutes a day.
• I invest in tools or resources that help me be better at my job or be more comfortable. I spent a while finding the perfect home office chair and I can say it’s one of the best investments.
• I take scheduled breaks and set work hours because I tend to work longer hours if I don’t do this.
• I try to be as open as possible about my personal life to my colleagues, both for team bonding purposes and as a means to be more understanding of each person’s situation.

In key areas like communication and engagement, regular meetings go a long way in helping fill in the gaps between your role and the company’s bigger picture:

• Company-wide meetings help me get a deeper understanding of the current state of the company, its goals, and where it’s headed.
• Department meetings help me align my work responsibilities with the rest of the team, create monthly plans, and coordinate collaborative efforts.
• Ongoing, daily communication with my colleagues, either via chat, video, or a call, helps assess everyone’s capacity, workloads, or identify roadblocks.

Weighing the pros and cons of remote work, it’s always been very clear to me that I thrive on remote work. For example, by working remotely, I’ve had access to work with international teams from Uruguay, Brazil, United States, Germany, India, Australia, and Ukraine, and it’s all thanks to the flexibility my time zone and remote work have offered me.

In contrast, some find it somewhat harder to advance their careers if working from home. In my personal experience, since I started working at Scalarr, I felt right at home. Not only was upper management incredibly supportive of my remote situation, they helped me every step of the way, providing me with the necessary tools to perform my job, making me feel welcomed, cared for, and valued, and always going above and beyond in identifying areas of growth. I believe that proactive and open communication on personal development is the right approach to drive your career forward.

Thinking about going remote in Mexico? Or any other place in the world? Scalarr provides a remote-friendly environment, with most of its workforce spread out across the world in strategic locations like Ukraine, Poland, United States, Mexico, Canada, and Israel.

We’d love for you to join us! See the available job openings here → https://edgelabs.ai/company/careers