Posted on behalf of Johnson Storage & Moving employee Barbara Collins.

In 1986 my husband’s company ceased operations in Texas after 20 years and we decided that raising our preteen and teenager in Colorado was the best move for our family.  Being 40 was a rough time to change careers but we both found the perfect fit. He works for a small Engineering firm and I joined the Johnson Storage & Moving company.  For 18 years I worked in the office and envisioned this being the job I would retire from.  Then in 2004 I was offered the opportunity to join the team that worked at home.  I balked, as my manager can attest, thinking I was being put out to pasture.  I had doubts about what I was doing and more so what I would be doing. Was this the way for them to test me and slowly ease me out?  Then I got a call from another member of our team who had already transitioned to working at home and had suffered through many of the same fears.  She told me what a difference it made for her and to her life and to be open minded and try it. This was the best thing that has happened for me and my husband since I started working.

I found that my routine of starting my day with a cup of coffee and outlining my goals for that day hasn’t changed.  The change is that I find I can start a task and get it done easier.    I spend far less time shuffling papers and trying to get everything finished by the time the doors are closed. I can continue to work until I feel like I have accomplished what needed to be done. The distractions just aren’t there and I can focus.

But there are other benefits, too.  In the last 2 years I have faced major medical problems.  Working at home has allowed me to continue to do my job and still be able to have my surgeries, doctor’s appointments and cancer treatments.  I have lost far less time because of flexible hours.  My husband now faces surgery, recovery and treatment and I will be able to be here for him and still continue my commitment to my job.  This has been a benefit that I didn’t foresee but has ultimately been wonderful. My recovery was easier and I know his will also be because of the opportunity Johnson’s gave me. For both of us our lives would have been much different.  We consider ourselves most blessed.