La Pura Vida - working remotely from Costa Rica

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I'm Annika, and I work in the Marketing Operations team as a Marketing Operations Specialist here at Mobal. I recently returned from Costa Rica, where I've done a couple of weeks of remote work. During this trip, I became somewhat of a digital nomad, working from Costa Rica while still being able to go on adventures and explore. This adventure was possible due to Mobals flexible working arrangements and supportive atmosphere, having a significant focus on the well-being of all employees.

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A flexible mindset and support from my Team Lead

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I've been dreaming of traveling and exploring the world by myself and wanting to do something to support my well-being for a couple of years. Due to Covid-19, I haven't been able to go, which made me intrigued to go traveling when the restrictions eased a few months ago.

After a few days of planning, I told my Team Lead, Ella, about my plans and started preparing for my trip to Costa Rica. As Santa Teresa was nine hours behind the Finnish timezone, we booked our meetings so that they would be at suitable times for the whole team. During my trip, Ella and I had ongoing conversations about how the work was going, making everything work seamlessly.

As a morning person, I completed most of my work in the early mornings and finished off by working a few hours in the afternoon after surfing, which worked perfectly. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate Mobal's endless support of one's well-being and the ongoing checks about how the work is going. Due to the flexibility, I could go surfing and enjoy the sun while still doing my job in the best way possible.

My two favorite things about Costa Rica were the food and the energy of the whole place. I´m a big foodie, and every culinary experience, from local food to Chinese to Italian, was terrific. Second, the whole energy there was something that I think everyone should experience. The saying "Pura Vida," expressing happiness, optimism, and living life to its fullest, was a common saying by locals and was exactly how I would describe the place. Surfing, eating good food, and watching mindblowing sunsets every day with amazing people made me live my life to the fullest while still working at my favorite place.

Although we at Mobal appreciate being at the office to create relationships and memories with the rest of the company, the opportunity to work remotely from time to time is a luxury that many of us truly appreciate.

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Hybrid working setup

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The pandemic changed the way we work, and Mobal has introduced a new way of working to ensure effective teamwork and nurture our culture. Moballers can now combine working at the office and home in the hybrid working setup.

We don't believe in strict company-wide practice here as our teams operate differently. We do, however, love seeing people at the office. The buzz, jokes, brainstorming sessions, lunch sessions together, and occasional ping-pong games at the office are hard to beat.

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Work from another country up to 6 weeks a year

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Mobal has introduced a new program that allows everyone at Mobal to work up to three weeks per six months from any country. We believe a change in scenery can boost both inspiration and motivation.

Experiencing another culture gives you both cultural awareness and acceptance, which can help break down cultural barriers. When you learn about other cultures, you establish new ways of thinking, approaching, and solving problems. This is something we want to support. When working from another country, it is good to keep a few things in mind to ensure that everything goes smoothly. We’ve listed a few keys to remote work success below.

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The keys to remote work success:

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• Trust and a “ownership taking” mindset at work
• Asynchronous communication
• Keep team calls once per day to ensure good communication and better teamwork.
• A calm place to work with a good internet connection and noise-canceling headphones
• Plan meetings and set up a clear schedule for the day
• Have a backup plan for potential challenges, such as poor internet or the work environment.

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The pandemic did get many of us thinking about how we want to live and work. We empathize with this and thus introduced the hybrid working setup and the remote working program. With the flexible way of working, we give every team member the chance to fulfill their dreams, just like Annika did by going to Costa Rica.

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Learn more about working at Mobal:

Visit our career page

Visit our about us page

Culture handbook

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