Remote work is becoming an everyday way of working in the wake of the Corona disaster. In line with this trend, more and more people are choosing to work remotely, moving from the city center to the countryside. In my case, I moved from the suburbs of Tokyo to the countryside where my husband’s parents live, long before the coronavirus broke out, and the new coronavirus spread after I started working for mgn, which started a full remote work style. So, although the coronavirus was not the trigger, I would like to share my feelings after moving from the suburbs of Tokyo to the countryside and continuing to work remotely for 5 years at mgn while raising my children.
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Remote work and relationships in rural areas
We moved to the area where my husband’s parents live, so when we first arrived, we didn’t know anyone outside of our family at all. If I had found a job and worked in this area, I would have built relationships with people at that workplace, and perhaps we would have gone out for lunch together for a bit, or for a drink after work. In addition, you may feel lonely because you can no longer see your friends from your school days casually. However, since the environment allows me to work remotely and flexibly, I was able to actively participate in PTA and school events and get involved in community events, which helped me connect with so-called “mom friends” and people I met through my children’s school-related activities. This was very reassuring and provided me with emotional support during my child-rearing years.
Remote work near Tokyo and remote work in rural areas
With remote work, you can do it from any location, so whether you are in Tokyo or in a rural area, it makes no difference at all. mgn has everyone working remotely, so we are all connected and working online from different locations. Almost all of our meetings are online as well, so I don’t think there is any difference at all in the way we work. However, the physical distance is one of the factors that prevents us from easily participating in the opportunities we all have to get together several times a year. The company and its members make a conscious effort to communicate actively even when working remotely, so it is not a problem at all as a working environment, but I would still like to see them in real life once in a while!
It takes more than 3 hours door-to-door from where I live to the mgn office, and more than 6 hours round trip just to travel, so if I want to participate, I can hardly work that day. Also, since I am raising my children, there are many days when I have to run errands for them. If it were a place where I could come home immediately, I might be able to just show up for a bit and go home, but that is also difficult. If I were a person with lighter footwork, the physical distance might not be a problem, but for me, this distance is a factor that prevents me from participating easily.
Remote work is easy to work in rural areas!
Before the Corona disaster, mgn had a full remote working style, but it was not a typical way of working, and there were often times when I would have to visit the company to meet with clients and talk with them in person. I was too far away to do that, right? Nowadays, remote meetings are common at most companies, and being able to talk with clients online is a great advantage when working remotely in a rural area. While it is necessary to prepare the working environment for the company, team, and each individual, I think that being able to work remotely in a rural area is an efficient and comfortable working environment.
Location-independent work
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Whether a region is a good place to live depends on the area, how each person perceives it, and their priorities, but thanks to the remote work style, it has become possible to work independent of location. Some regions are working to promote regional migration, so it has become easier to consider the option of working remotely in a rural area.
