Remote Work Spotlight: Rohit's First Time Working Remotely

While many people actively search out remote work positions, some people didn’t consider it until it was the only option. This is the case for Rohit, the Senior Product Manager here at OpenVPN. Rohit had worked at the main office for a long time, and while he worked from home every once in a while, it wasn’t something he ever thought about as a permanent option. Then, when COVID-19 sent everyone home to work, Rohit embraced the new work environment fully.

What Does Rohit Love About Remote Work?

Rohit on vacation at Big Sur, Pfeiffer Beach.

Rohit explained that he appreciates the positive impact he can have on the environment by not commuting. “The fewer people there are commuting, the more pollution reduces because fewer vehicles are transporting people to work.” Rohit is glad that he can help take care of the planet in this way. Rohit also likes the convenience of being at home during the day. “I like that I can listen to my music without disrupting any of my coworkers. I also like that I am right near my kitchen so I can easily make healthy snacks and meals.”

While working remotely has a lot of great benefits, it can also make it difficult to separate work and life. Rohit suggests that remote workers, to the best of their ability, set up a dedicated workspace. “It is helpful to have a private place to work like what I had at the office. Having equipment like a big screen monitor and other accessories makes it easier to get my work done.” He also explained that having a separate workspace allows him to mentally leave work at the end of the day.

Remote Work Culture

According to Rohit, OpenVPN's culture has always embraced remote work since its employees and contractors are spread out all around the world. A lot of the OpenVPN team works from home rather than working from corporate locations. Rohit explained, “There are special slack channels to foster chit chat, and almost all meetings have remote participants dialing in.” Remote employment is just a normal part of OpenVPN, so everybody is used to it.

How Access Server Makes It Possible

Rohit uses a pilates ball as a chair when he is working at home. It helps improve posture and reduces back pain.

Like many people, Rohit works with many protected resources that cannot and should not be accessed from the public internet. He explained that “Especially for product documentation, many of our features and services are only for internal use and are behind firewalls. That’s when I use Access Server to connect to the staging and development environment.” OpenVPN Access Server allows Rohit to access the resources he needs, whether in the office, at home, or traveling with his family.

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