Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1267313
JULY 2020 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 31 ing and downloading; depending on the rates of speed for these activities comes multi-tiered expense levels. Before COVID-19 and all this isolation, I wouldn't have even given it a sec- ond thought. I'd say, "It's not necessary to pur- chase the highest-tier level, unless you are a heavy streamer, a high-end gamer, or running an e-commerce business out of your home. The mid-tier is fine." Now, I've been at home for a few months, and I don't see myself ever going back to the office full-time again. At Collins Aerospace, there are different phases of when they're al- lowing employees back to the office. Those who can work remotely right now are being asked to stay remote. I don't see this chang- ing any time soon. Thus, I will re-evaluate the higher-tier level with Cox Cable. Matties: I think it goes to a shift in thinking in that you can now hire people and not be bound by region. Chavez: You're right. Not only that but if you allow someone in an environment where they're at their most optimum, you're going to get the best out of them. My eight hours of ef- fort may not be from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; my hours may be sporadic throughout the day, but at the end of the day, I've accomplished just as much—if not more than—what I ac- complished sitting in my company office for eight straight hours. Feinberg: Not only that, but when you're work- ing out of your home office, if something comes up late in the day, instead of saying, "I'll wait until tomorrow," you just run into your office and do it. Chavez: Exactly! Here's one thing that my wife brought to my attention: My daily work efforts have almost doubled. Instead of working eight to 10 hours, I now work 12 to 20 hours. I just don't realize it because I'm not in my office all day long; I'm going back and forth, coming in and out of my office while doing stuff. Before I realize it, it's 9:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m., or 2:00 a.m. the next day. Then, work-life balance can become an issue. Everyone is different, as is everyone's situation, so riding that fine line of work-life balance is the challenge. Matties: Have you noticed any tangible increas- es in productivity? Chavez: Overall, I would say yes—no daily commutes to the office and less water cooler chatter. Here is a scenario: While you're in the office, you get a cup of coffee, see a colleague, or walk by someone's cube, and without no- tice, you stop and chat. That five minutes that you think it's going to take to say a few things turns into 20 minutes, and you haven't even gotten the cup of coffee yet. While working from home, more than likely you have few- er interruptions and walk-ups to your cube. Keep in mind, though, that working from home has its own challenges these days with COVID-19. If you're working from home and with small children, you're on a whole new level of challenges. God bless you, and good luck with that! Matties: Saving on commute time also saves on gas and mental fatigue. Chavez: Definitely. It takes me an hour to get from my home in Surprise, down to my office in Phoenix. I instantly gained two hours a day of optimization from being at home. That's huge. For many of us, we have eliminated that dreadful daily commute to and from the office. In my case, I regained about two hours back in my day! This directly and positively impacts my work tremendously! I am now able to give an extra two hours per day times five days a week. That's 10 extra hours gained into my weekly schedule that helps me be that much more successful at work. With that in mind, I'm just one employee; multiply this by a sev- eral thousand employees, and I'd say that's a silver lining in this dark cloud. Feinberg: And you're not even in California. With us, it could take 20 minutes to get to the office or two hours. We don't measure in miles here; we measure in time.