Jeff Toth, Marketing & Communications Lead, IBAO
I got my job at IBAO a year after moving to Toronto from Calgary, where I’d lived most of my adult life. But like so many others, the pandemic made me rethink my living situation. In the spring of 2021, I decided to move back to Calgary to be closer to my family.
When I told my boss I had planned to move, I wasn’t certain what it would mean. At the time, Ontario was still in lockdown. Patios had only just begun to reopen. But IBAO was still 100% remote, so I hoped there’d be a chance I could stay on for at least a little while to smooth my cross-country transition. They were happy for me to stay on until at least the conclusion of the next annual Convention, which I was very grateful for.
The timing of my arrival back in Alberta made the experience very surreal. I’d arrived at the beginning of July 2021, the exact week Alberta’s Premier declared the lockdown over, just in time for the Calgary Stampede. It was as though I’d inadvertently moved out of the pandemic. I’d gone from only seeing my friends in parks and on patios to the wild west.
A few months later when IBAO started experimenting with a hybrid model, management asked if I’d be interested in extending my arrangement. I was thrilled to do so. This is how I became their sole employee operating from another province.
I’ve joked that my dining table is IBAO’s satellite office. My move actually seems quite fitting considering the increasing nationalization of the industry.
According to Forbes, as of the time of this writing, “12.7% of full-time employees work from home, while 28.2% work a hybrid model.” That same article makes employee preferences clear that “98% of workers want to work remote at least some of the time.” And 57% would start job hunting if their current company stopped allowing remote work. As a counterpoint, “about 16% of businesses operate fully remotely, without maintaining a physical office”—which is the case for at least a handful of IBAO Member Brokerages.
Mine is a bit of an extreme case, having moved a 2,700km flight away. Adding an additional complication, Alberta is two hours behind, so we agreed to split the difference—from my perspective I’d be starting work an hour early and from IBAO’s, I’d be an hour late. While this means I’m usually unavailable for early morning meetings, I’m also “at work” an hour past close, which can be advantageous.
If it were possible for me to go into the office for part of the week, I’d gladly do so. As a social guy, I miss seeing my coworkers in-person, and those impromptu chats that only happen at the office. But I still get to connect regularly with most of the team on a weekly or daily basis. And I still get to come back to Ontario for our Convention and Young Brokers Conference, which is always a treat.
When I initially decided to move, I struggled with potentially having to leave IBAO. Instead, I’ve been able to bring the IBAO with me to Alberta.