A Comprehensive Guide to Working on the Move, with Alex Stone

Work, family and travel… often seen as conflicting motivations, is there a way to bring the three together? 

We checked in with Orbis Managing Director Alex Stone, who may have cracked the code! He’s been overseeing our US operations and spending time with his family on an extended road trip around the states. 

Let’s see what he’s learned.

So Alex, tell us about the trip. Have you been stopping in hotels, Airbnbs, or tackling the full-on camper van life?

No camper van; I've got a baby so that wouldn’t work very well! I’ve been travelling by car, packed to the brim with baby stuff. All of my stuff can fit in a backpack, none of it's mine! I've got a big dog as well, so it’s a very packed car. 

You can drive for a long time across the US and feel like you're not getting anywhere. So, there's been a lot of classic motels on the side of the motorway. 

When we get into a town, we’ll often be in an Airbnb because a lot of them these days have work-from-home studies or dedicated working spaces. They are definitely a winner when you’re travelling and working.

Constantly moving whilst working full-time sounds like a challenge, with no setup to rely on. On the other hand_, people can work from anywhere now. Is that something you’ve worked around?

If you're a person of routine you might struggle with the change of scenery. I know people who don't even like having the screen on the opposite side of the desk! But, all you need is a laptop.

Full-time, it's good to have the whole setup and an additional screen or two because I think you are more productive. However, for the odd day here and there it's manageable.

Another interesting aspect of this is changing time zones across the country. Has this ever been a challenge of working with a global team on the move?

If you're juggling family, work, and time zones, you've just got to be strict with your hours; otherwise, you end up trying to please everyone. 

If you're working earlier to cater for the East Coast and the UK, as well as later to cater for the West Coast, you just need to be strict with the hours you're putting in.  

We work in recruitment, and it’s typical to check in out of hours, but you’ll just be all consumed and have an upset family if you take on everything, so have a limit.

We’ve made adjustments with time and Orbis has become much more flexible over the past two years or so. Do you prefer it or was it simpler when we had a fixed structure?

It was definitely simpler. Personally, my nature is that I like to experience new things, and I like to challenge myself.

The fact that we’re growing and we’ve opened up multiple offices has kind of strong-armed us into being more flexible. 

Time management needs to be absolutely on point when you're growing the way we've been, and on the road travelling as much as I have been as well.

One upside is that you're working with such a different variety of people from different backgrounds. Different time zones mean different cultures and ideas. All of that is adding flavour to who we are, constantly.

There are loads of silver linings to it. As long as you're open to the travel and time zone changes and you can juggle keeping your partner happy and your family happy, there are loads of upsides to the travel and the growth.

This seems like prime time to embrace the flexible working policy. How have you been breaking up the days to make sure you can get out there and enjoy being on the road?

Well, when you're travelling with a baby, the one thing you need to be strict about is preparation. Driving through the night, making sure that iPads are fully charged with Peppa Pig at the ready. 

Obviously, there are going to be meetings where you have to get up a bit earlier or log on late. But generally speaking, flexible hours definitely help.

We all know what we need to get done. With a baby, you've just gotta make sure that you're driving during unsociable hours, and that it's not taking up useful time during the middle of the day.

You've got it very much worked out, but it's a lot of moving parts; parenting, travelling, working full time and managing time zones. If and when it's ever stressful, or if you ever come up against a wall - What are your tips and tricks for dealing with that?

What, other than screaming or jumping into an ice-cold shower? Just figure it out. There's not always an answer to it. Fortunately, we work with a very experienced team that gives full support across the board. So if there is ever a bit of drama, which to be honest, is very rare, everyone steps up. 

As a result of COVID and how much it's driven us to be a globalised business, the communication is on point, we have multiple avenues to talk to each other, whether it's Slack or WhatsApp or phone calls or emails.

When we think of someone working on the move, the ‘Van Life’ archetype, we probably think of someone who works part-time, freelance or works for themselves, and is able to prioritise adventure. Not someone who's very senior within their business and has a demanding career.

Would you ever consider trying to live and work on the road full-time?

No, definitely not. I mean, it's exhausting. I'm not going to beat around it, it's tough work. Just the constant preparation when it comes to thinking about your family, particularly with a very young child. 

You’re limited by making sure most of your travel is done on the weekends. There are other considerations if you're in a hotel and checking out by 10 or 11 am. Your family are getting booted out of an Airbnb and they've then got to figure out what to do for the rest of the day until you finish work at 5,6,7 o'clock…

If you're a sniper, a lone ranger running your own business as a freelancer, I see how it can work. 

It's not for me full-time. It’s a great experience. I'm not knocking it, it's so much fun. You get to see the country, you get to experience cultures and food. Just the drive alone, there are so many beautiful landscapes. But you definitely need to be in a certain profession to do it full-time.