Monday morning. Traffic pulls along, each car like lemmings as they drudge on to their respective destinations. You stand on the crowded tube or bus, surrounded by drab faces, commuting.

Blue and white collar workers alike, no matter their transportation, attempt to shake off the weekend with each sip of coffee. What if there were a workday that began right from your fingertips— from the patio table on your terrace? Or from that gem of a bookstore that’s all too easy to get lost in the literary ambiance of? While the traditional office setting works for some, it is becoming clear it’s not for everyone, and that’s okay. The notion of a remote workplace is gaining headway as more employees and recent college graduates embark onto the job-sphere, and realise that the old 9-5 routine is not their only option.

With advancements in technology ushering in platforms like google hangouts, skype and basecamp to name a few, now more than ever companies are able to bring together employees not only from an array of different backgrounds, but different time zones as well. Your post code might be in London, but you work for a company in Paris. Working remotely has many reconsidering what their definition of the workplace is.

Workplaces across the globe are inching away from the drab office description of yesterday. The monochrome desk has been replaced by one’s lap. The sorrowful grey of the office has been replaced with the walls of your own home. And your dull colleagues have been replaced by the company that you choose or none at all.

The cardinal complaint for many go-getters out there is attaining a work/life balance. At times, 24 hours in a day just doesn’t seem to cut it and we’re wishing for 26. We wish to excel in our work lives but also excel in our personal ones. And, while ambition never hurt anyone’s morale, wanting to do it all usually comes with a price; often to one’s health and personal relationships. We essentially become over-caffeinated, workaholic zombie versions of ourselves who have forgotten what it looks like to take a moment to just breathe.

The growing remote workplace enables a better way to manage the zany merry-go-round that is life, allowing the growing workforce to tap into their inner multi-tasker while tending to a home, relishing in the garden, or cheer on their child at a sporting event. Wherever the workplace may be for the day, it’s up to you to make it a better view than the humdrum confines of the office of yesterday.

By Camille Todaro