At PAN we pride ourselves on championing our employees to travel between offices to learn about new people, places and experiences within our agency’s markets. It allows us to create a sense of family and cultivate award-winning culture across each of our regions. But what happens when an employee’s life takes them outside the walls of a PAN office?

As today’s workforce becomes increasingly more virtual, it is important that we explore flexible work arrangements for our staff. We understand that our employees are unique individuals with different needs, and as a firm that is laser-focused on employee satisfaction, we have found a variety of ways in which to support them along their career journey. Most recently, this has included support for relocation and remote-working arrangements.

Hear from a few of our employees about their relocation process, how working remotely full-time has transformed their experience at PAN and how they manage it all while striking a healthy work-life balance.

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Sam Rushovich, Account Supervisor (works remotely in Seattle, WA)

“When I went to my dedicated VP with the news that I was relocating to Seattle, I received nothing but support and congratulations! Within a few days I was approved to stay on with PAN remotely. I loved the accounts I was working on and tend to be more productive in the mornings, so PAN was on board with my request to work 6am-3pm PT so I could stay with my east coast teams and have a schedule that fit my work style best.

Knowing I was staying with PAN, I made sure to look for an apartment that had separate space for a home office. Being able to separate my workspace from my living space has been really important for maintaining boundaries at home. I also make sure to get out and work from a café at least 2-3 times per week so that I have a change of scenery and can be around other working people.

I honestly haven’t felt much of a difference since I started working remotely when it comes to team communication! Everyone has worked really hard over the last couple of years to make cross-office team communication easy and natural, so all my team members were already used to going on video for team meetings, using Teams for getting quick answers, and screensharing to collaborate on documents or work through challenges. It has been a really easy transition and I have my teams to thank for that!”

Ashley Waters, Senior Account Supervisor (works remotely in Philadelphia, PA)

“I was extremely lucky that the entire process around relocating was not only incredibly easy, but also widely supported by everyone at PAN. When I knew I would be moving to Philadelphia, I approached our head of HR to broach the subject of working remotely. I had been with PAN for over four years at that point and wasn’t ready to part ways – despite the impending move. Her very first question wasn’t about the impact working remote would have on my work– it was regarding my level of satisfaction if I was no longer in an office, and wanting to make sure I would still be happy in the role if not in the same location as my coworkers, many of whom I’m close with.

PAN supported me throughout the entire process, making sure my teams and clients knew about the move, and reassuring them that nothing would change. Now that I’m closer to the NYC office, my dedicated career coach is located there as are the employees that report into me as their dedicated mentor. Together, PAN and I decided I would travel to the NYC office twice a month, both to have face time with my colleagues as well as in-person meetings with my clients.

Working from home full-time was definitely an adjustment, but a few factors helped make the transition much easier. For starters, I’m lucky enough to have a room I can dedicate to my office. When I’m in my office, it’s work time. It makes it easier for me to focus while at my desk, and it also makes it easier to disconnect at the end of the day when I shut down, and close the door behind me. PAN’s wide use of ZOOM and Teams for video conference calls helps me feel integrated, even though I’m not physically located in an office. Whether it’s a one-on-one call, a team briefing with the rest of my colleagues in an office, or a cross-office call with teammates in New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Orlando, it’s great to actually see people’s faces when you’re talking to them. I continue to be incorporated in brainstorms, feedback, and updates, despite working remotely. And whenever I do go visit an office, there is always an available  desk for me!”

Cori Kendrick, Senior Account Supervisor (worked remotely in Atlanta, GA)

“When I moved to Atlanta in the Fall of 2017, I found that working from home was a huge adjustment after spending several years at PAN’s headquarters in Boston. While initially it was bittersweet to move away from all my colleagues, I realized that there were some really phenomenal benefits associated with being remote. I think the experience as a whole made me more organized and a better communicator. It was essential to have clear priorities, spend time on video conferences and build my conference call confidence. I also found that without the distraction of people popping by my desk, I was able to churn through my to-do list in record speed. This meant I had more personal time and more flexible hours.

Now that I’ve moved back to Boston, PAN’s work-at-home policy means I get the opportunity to work from home twice a week and have the best of both worlds. I’m so appreciative to PAN for this flexibility!”

PAN is People First

No matter what city our employees call home, it’s important to us that they feel integrated into our culture and still feel like a part of the PAN family. We trust our employees to always give 110% and we strive to ensure that they always have a team to lean on, no matter where their desks are located.

Interested in a career at PAN but don’t live near one of our office locations? No problem! We are currently considering applicants for full-time remote positions for Account Supervisor level and above. Check out our Careers page for more information!