Frends Senior Service Manager continued working remotely from Mexico after a year’s positive experience
Frends Senior Service Manager Aino Tarhala moved to Mexico with her family at the end of Summer 2022. She started working at Frends in March 2022, and although it was her probation period on the job, she dared to ask for the remote working possibility. After confirming with her assigned customers whether it was okay to work from Mexico, she was all set to go – with continuous support from her employer, Frends.
“I was amazed by how supportive Frends and my superiors were about my moving to Mexico and working from here. I have always been a night owl, so the eight-hour time difference and working at night didn’t seem an issue for me – rather a nice change to regular work days.”
A year in Mexico passed, and although there were challenges in adjusting to the local culture and ways of living, the overall experience was positive and empowering.
When planning her return to Finland in the late spring of 2023, Aino started thinking about the possibility of coming back to Mexico for another year. She and her family’s Spanish just started to improve, and the family began to settle and enjoy the abundance the Yucatan peninsula had to offer.
“Coming back to Mexico felt like coming home this second time, and all the arrangements regarding school, housing, and work seemed pretty easy. When talking about continuing to work from Mexico with my customers, they weren’t surprised – they were rather expecting it.”
Workwise, there weren’t any issues for Aino. She had adjusted the night working rhythm, learned to balance her diet, exercised daily to keep up good health, and the most important thing – the internet connection – worked seamlessly.
Permission from Frends to continue working from Mexico was granted based on the excellent work Aino had done in a year of remote work. Her customers didn’t have any objections to continuing to work in the same way as for the past year. So she packed her bags again and returned to Mexico.
"When Aino started working with MTV, I was a little surprised at first that she was working remotely all the way from Mexico. Despite the significant time difference between Finland and Mexico, the collaboration with Aino has worked seamlessly. To be honest, sometimes I even forget that she works from the other side of the globe. This is an exciting concept, and I would like to see other companies promoting similar opportunities to work abroad,” comments Frends customer Jere Karhunen, Product Owner, MTV Oy.
"Collaboration with Aino has been working well before and after her move to Mexico. Frankly, we haven’t noticed any difference on our side, and things have moved forward smoothly. Personally, I’m very happy that this has worked out so well for her and that Frends has given her the opportunity,” says Erik Holm, Manager, Applications & ERP, Bluefors.
How does the everyday life feel?
“The loneliness of remote work sometimes gets me, but I feel like at Frends, we have a good network and tools for remote collaboration. I can always reach out to my colleagues and get support from them. Also, the customers are very nice and supportive – just occasionally wondering how I pull off the time difference.”
The time difference enables Aino to have more quality time with her family and enjoy the hot and sunny days of Mexico. She gets questioned a lot about whether she sleeps at all. For a person who can sleep whenever and wherever it’s easy, she divides her sleeping cycle into two parts: morning nap and evening sleep, which makes for approximately 8 hours of sleep per day.
For those who are dreaming of working from a warm and sunny place, Aino has a few tips.
Find a good and reliable employer who is open to remote work conversations. You’ll need all the support from your employer to make it happen and feel comfortable working abroad. It is a big change in life – although a very wanted - so you don’t want to worry about work and if you’ll even have work when getting to know your new environment and adjusting to a foreign culture and all that bureaucracy involved. You’ll also need the support of your friends and family. Be daring, be bold – it’s the best decision you’ll ever make!
Read the previous blog from here.
