My guest for this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast is Greg Gibas who, like me, also owns an outsourcing company based in the Philippines.  Even though Greg was born in Poland, his family moved to the United States when he was young.  He ended up doing a Masters in Marketing in Australia and built a business in the Philippines.  He’s been living the digital nomad life long before it was cool.

One of the first things we talked about was how Covid may end up being the moment when remote work exploded into the mainstream.  We chatted about the changing dynamics we are watching unfold right now.  Even though Greg stands to benefit from this change, he has thought a lot about work philosophically and made some points that really rung true to me:

• Geoarbitrage isn’t just great for employees, it’s also great for employers.  Employees can choose a place they truly want to live and use a lower cost of living to save game-changing amounts of money.  Employers are no longer constrained by the labor pool in their limited local market.
• Small businesses will follow what their competitors do.  As they see other companies move into remote work, paying significantly less for the same level of worker, they will follow suit, which also frees up more capital to grow.
• The wage gap may close, soon.  If remote work becomes a “new normal” then the major wage gaps that currently exist will necessarily close, as remote workers find out just how valuable (or not) they are.

I’ve always wanted to create the biggest businesses possible and help the most people I can.  I think there are many problems in the world, but I think a lot of them can be traced to a lack of employment.  Give more jobs to more people in the world, and there will be fewer problems, I truly believe.  Yes, I approve that message and No, I’m not running for political office!

Greg and I have worked with hundreds of people over the past few years and he said something about hiring that I also really agreed with.  He said that the most important quality in any employee is attitude.  That’s also something he hammers home with people who brag about being ignorant about technology.  “If you don’t even know little aspects of technology, you can really get taken advantage of and/or be blind to possibilities,” he noted.

I think you’ll truly enjoy Greg’s perspective, experience, and optimistic outlook on the future of work in general, and remote work in particular.

Key Learning Points:

1. Greg opines about remote work pre-Covid - 2:14

2. Greg talks about geoarbitrage and its benefits for employees and employers - 6:58

3. Greg observes that companies in expensive locations may try to cut their wage bill by going remote - 10:20

4. Greg shares the most important quality he looks for after working with hundreds of employees - 11:30

5. Greg anticipates the worldwide wage gap closing if remote work becomes more “normal” post Covid - 16:03

6. Greg thinks just having a little bit of tech knowledge will save you a lot of time and money - 25:40

Connect with Greg Gibas

Gibas Associates