Staying Connected from Costa Rica with Michael

Hybrid Work at AVOXI

hybrid work avoxi michael

At AVOXI, our employees are at the heart of everything we do. They’re the reason behind our global success and happy customers, and earlier this year we invested in them, big time. In January we decided to go fully remote and only halfway through the year, our employees are already taking full advantage of the new work-life balance that comes along with it. 

In this post, we’re taking a moment to catch up with AVOXI’s Digital Marketing Specialist, Michael Mahoney, who recently took advantage of our exciting new policy and made a month-long trip to Costa Rica where he was able to work remote and immerse himself into an entirely new country and culture! 

Tell us a little about yourself? How long have you been at AVOXI and what do you do?

I was born and raised right here in Atlanta, Georgia, and have lived here all my life. When I’m not working, you can probably find me either exploring cool new places in the city, playing with my dog, Peyton, or on the golf course! 

I’ve been at AVOXI for a little over 2 years working on our demand gen team and assisting with SEO, content, live chat, and, more recently, email marketing.

Last year was a shift for many employees as you unexpectedly went from going into the office and then having to set up a home workspace and work from it. How did AVOXI handle that first year with their global organization going remote?

AVOXI handled this transition phenomenally. Luckily, we already had a few remote workers who could give us a few pointers on being successful while working from home. As a company, we’re big on over-communicating – which has served us well through this transition. Not being able to have the typical watercooler talk at the office was weird, but we all adapted quickly (thank you Slack).

What did you think when AVOXI announced in January that they were going to remain as a remote work organization?

When AVOXI made the decision to go fully remote at the beginning of this year, I thought it was a fantastic idea. To me, it showed that our management team genuinely cares about their employees’ work-life balance. I think that since we were able to make the shift to remote so seamlessly last year, our team felt much more confident in being able to turn it into a full-time option for employees.

Having a hybrid option definitely helps as well! Having the option to go into one of our physical locations (Atlanta, GA or Charleston, SC) gives us the flexibility to get some face-to-face time with our teams when working on big projects and even meeting new employees. The best part about it is there’s no pressure to go to the office. If you want to, great! If not, that’s fine too. That to me speaks volumes about our AVOXI team and the trust we have in one another.

How have you started to take advantage of the improved work-life balance?

Working remotely has given me so many opportunities that I would have never had. Being able to work while traveling the world has helped me hit a reset on my life in many ways. Each day I’m able to get started at my own speed. For example, having breakfast and coffee each morning on the patio while checking emails vs. before where I was rushing to get out of the house in time just to beat traffic. By the way, coffee is much more enjoyable when you’re not sitting in traffic drinking it!

I now have time to do things like take my dog to the vet during the day, rather than rushing home to take her to the appointment. Albeit these might seem like small things, but they really add up.

Has working remotely (and working in exciting locations like Costa Rica) changed how you enjoy work and perform?

While working remotely takes some getting used to, I would say I definitely enjoy it more. Having the ability to travel and still work has completely changed how I go about living my life.  I feel like I can enjoy my life more. By not having to go into an office every day to do work, it’s given me the freedom to focus on small (and big) things that matter to me in my personal life.

I recently took advantage of our remote work possibilities and took a trip to Costa Rica for 30 days. The best part? All I needed was an electrical outlet and WiFi to make it happen! During my month in this beautiful country, I was able to take time off (another AVOXI benefit of unlimited PTO!) and explore several natural wonders of the area, including Manuel Antonio National Park, Arenal Volcano, and Monteverde’s Cloud Forest.  

It was a game-changer for me, and I’m looking forward to taking advantage of other opportunities like this in the future. Working remotely has really opened my eyes to all the possibilities that are now at my fingertips and to continue living an enjoyable life outside of the typical 9-5.

Hybrid Workplaces Meet International Travel at AVOXI

Interested in joining our global team? Learn more about careers at AVOXI today!