Here it is, the predictable editor’s message lamenting the end of summer where I extend a wary welcoming to the crisp and heavy-dewed mornings of fall, the layering of favorite sweaters and for those of you with school aged children the dreaded return to the home work routine.
So we dedicate this issue to homework, the stuff that your kids take home in their backpacks, but also to the emerging ‘work-from-home’ trend that is proving that the way we work is shifting.
In her feature Work@home, Sarah Butland meets several individuals who epitomize the work-from-home trend. Whether they are an employee of a larger company and telecommuting through the means of technology or described as self-employed, more people are making the decision to work from home. They are making the choice for different reasons however, they all have one thing in common, they are all very happy in their environments of productivity.
Technology, of course, has had a tremendous impact on the work-from-home trend. There is not much that you cannot do with a phone and a computer unless you live in one of the un-serviced areas of rural Nova Scotia still waiting for a broadband connection solution.
According to the most recent survey conducted by Stats Canada in 2008 the number of employees working from home (meaning they are paid by business or organization) in 2008 was 1.7 million compared to 1.4 million in 2000. Not a dramatic increase, however in the last 8 years since the study was conducted, work-at-home continues to trend up as companies try to reduce over head dumping commercial real estate, tech continues to become more sophisticated and more people act on their desire for many to find a better work/life balance.
The situation is a little different for the work-from-home self-employed contingent who now number a little over $1.8 million in the Canadian labour workforce. The combined effect has pushed the overall proportion of people working from home to slice 19 % of the labour
force pie.
And while we don’t have a recipe for pie in this issue we do have a few great snack ideas to keep both the grown ups and our students well-fueled after school to maintain the energy needed to get through the harried evening agenda.
But let’s escape from our desks for a bit and find some fun. Flip to page 28 and you will land on the complete calendar of events for the deCoste Performing Arts Centre and to tie it all together we introduce you to Troy and Jennie Greencorn in our At Home With conversation. They know the entertainment biz inside out and two years ago brought their contact list and passion for the industry to Pictou County. Again, another example that you can have it all outside of the big city.
And in every issue we open the door and take you on a little tour of some interesting spaces. Lori Byrne writes Lofty Ideas and photographer Steve Smith gives us a snap shot of two upscale apartment developments that have been given a new lease on life and release a breath of fresh air to liven up our downtown cores.
There is one thing for sure about the people living, working, learning and contributing in our communities – we are never short on good ideas. The days might be getting shorter and your circadian rhythms might be slowing you down a little as our bodies respond to the changing season but I think the fall is when we can do some of our best work.
I hope you enjoy the work that we have put into our fall issue and be sure to visit our web site www.athomeonthenorthshore.ca for online exclusives and updates to our stories that will keep us connected until next time.
