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Remote worker sets up green screen background while working from a beach: ‘Work smarter not harder’

“Nothing to see here but a productive and proactive employee,” one fan wrote

Meredith Clark
New York
Friday 12 August 2022 17:31 BST
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Eight-year-old goes viral after mother shares her impression of working from home

The age of remote working has allowed employees to do their jobs from anywhere -- even at the beach.

A remote employee went viral on TikTok this week setting up what appears to be their office. User @averyncmm captioned the video: “Spotted: a fellow remote ‘worker’ setting up his ‘office’ green screen for the day.”

In the clip, which has more than 1.4m views, the man brings his backpack to the beach and sets up a green screen sheet held up by two wooden rods in the sand. This way, the worker, who may have to appear on camera, can change his background to a more work-appropriate setting.

The remote employee’s makeshift office was praised by a number of users in the comments section, and wondered where they could fill out an application.

“The work gets done, right? Nothing to see here but a productive and proactive employee,” one person wrote.

“Work smarter not harder,” said someone else.

“Who do you work for and are they hiring?” a third person wrote.

While others debated whether the worker’s actions were appropriate. “Idc what you say that’s not more comfortable than working from an office chair with back support in the AC,” one TikToker commented.

Some people simply wondered the logistics behind working remotely from a beach, including WiFi access or sounds of the water, wind, and other beachgoers. Commenters suggested purchasing portable WiFi routers or using a phone’s hotspot, while some offered where to find noise cancelling headphones.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies have shifted from in-person offices to allowing employees to work from anywhere they please. In July, another remote worker went viral on TikTok when he received an impromptu invite from his manager to join a video meeting while he was secretly on a flight instead of working remotely.

“When you are working remote and your manager randomly adds a meeting to your calendar in 30 minutes,” he filmed himself clearly seated on a plane. The TikTok was viewed more than 1m times, with users commenting, “My worst fear realised” and “This happened to me last week!”

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