Work From Anywhere is More Than a Policy; It’s a Lifestyle
At Gray Solutions, work from anywhere (WFA) is not just a policy - it's a lifestyle aligned with our core values. “We are customer and relationship-driven”, and WFA allows us to meet our customers where they are, whether that means being onsite while commissioning a large project or dialing in from our laptops while on a houseboat traveling down the Tennessee River.
We live by the motto “Where the Best Want to Belong" because our Solutioneers deliver from wherever they work, whether on a customer site, traveling the country, or plugged in from home across the continental U.S. (currently 33 U.S. states and counting).
WFA is More Than Remote Work
Contrary to what you may think of remote work, WFA means more than the ability to wear work-appropriate attire from the waist up. With a stable internet connection, Solutioneers can visit national parks, drive in their RV to work on a customer site by day and explore by night, or even check in at 8,000 feet while flying a personal aircraft (Earmuffs Safety Team).
Work/Life Harmony (Not Balance)
For many Solutioneers, this flexibility has been life-changing. WFA enables better work-life harmony and the ability to spend more time with family (whether they like it or not). When others use the term “balance”, we choose “harmony.”
“The idea that an individual can achieve a perfect work/life balance is a false narrative, said Gray Solutions CEO Walker Mattox. There are times you need to pour more into your personal life, and you should feel supported in doing so. There are also other times you are onsite more delivering super cool solutions for a customer. WFA is about helping Solutioneers attain a better flow in their lives instead of having it be two competing priorities.”
This work-life harmony allows Solutioneers to operate at different hours with one Solutioneer highlighting the opportunity to work in the wee hours of the morning so that he could spend more time with his son returning from the Navy. For some, it means the ability to spend a few weeks in their homelands of Argentina, Ecuador, and other distant locations. Others have used WFA to extend vacations in dream locations like Alaska, New Zealand, or Morocco by plugging in from their adventures.
Family Matters
WFA has also been invaluable for those managing health challenges whether personally or as a caregiver. This includes working from hospitals, accompanying a child to therapy appointments, the opportunity to provide care for an elderly parent, or simply just having the flexibility to run over to the school to have lunch with your favorite kindergartener. These moments matter to our Solutioneers, so they matter to Gray Solutions.
Work From Anywhere Can Also Be An Office
That’s right, some Solutioneers love working in a more traditional environment, so working from anywhere could mean an office, collaborating side-by-side with peers. Since we’re anything but boring, we took it up a notch and established state-of-the-art Hubs across the country in cities including Lexington, KY; St. Louis, MO; Fullerton, CA; Charlotte, NC, and Denver, CO. Where will we pop up next?
Staying Connected Across the Miles
While we embrace the freedom of working remotely, collaboration and connection remain at the heart of Gray Solutions. Once a year, we get the whole band back together for an epic unforgettable Annual Meeting where collaboration ignites and tacos reign (inside joke – you’ll get it once you work for us).
But we don't just rely on that annual tradition to stay connected. Our Teams channels bring people together around shared interests like movies, food, and the great outdoors. We have lively book clubs, friendly competitions, and a whole lot of sarcasm.
We also have twice-monthly all-hands meetings. One is a chance for leadership to share updates, promoting transparency on how we're doing and where we're headed. The other is a no-holds-barred, ask the leadership team anything and everything. Cue the popcorn popping.
Outside of the onsite project work and time at the Hubs, we spend time working where it makes us happy, and while that's often miles apart, technology helps us stay connected. It's the shared experiences, inside jokes, and mutual understanding built over time that allow us to collaborate seamlessly when working remotely.
Conclusion
At Gray Solutions, we've discovered a powerful truth - physical distance can bring people closer together when your WFA policy is a lifestyle, not just remote work. Our Solutioneers often work directly at customer sites, building strong relationships through face-to-face collaboration. And when not onsite, the autonomy of our progressive WFA culture and policies attracts forward-thinking talent who value productivity and work-life harmony.
When people have the freedom to blend their personal and professional worlds by working wherever they want, paired with the opportunity to explore new areas while onsite with customers, it's life-changing for them and game-changing for our customers. That's why Gray Solutions is 'Where the Best Want to Belong.'
