OmniSpotlight: Ben LeSage

Over the past six months, the world has fundamentally changed its approach to work – and for myself it’s been no different. The traditional elements of a job that include the 9 to 5 hour day, a long commute, and needing to be physically present for your hours to count are being reconsidered - the pandemic has proven that employees can still be productive (and maybe even more so) when working remotely. This change in approach is exactly what Omnipresent is trying to facilitate but it has also opened the door for me to work alongside my rugby career.

I graduated from UBC in Vancouver, Canada in the Spring of 2019 with a mechanical engineering degree and a big decision ahead of me – do I start applying for typical corporate jobs like most of my classmates, or do I take a leap of faith and try to pursue my rugby career full-time? In reality, it wasn’t that hard of a decision… the allure of playing my favourite sport on the world stage, representing my country, and to make sport my livelihood was too exciting to pass up on. Still, I had lurking doubts about falling behind professionally during these important early years of my career, and wondered how to keep my skills relevant for whenever that move to traditional work did inevitably arrive. The idea of working while travelling and following an intense training regimen didn’t really seem to mesh. So, despite a few short-term engagements as an operations consultant, I largely put my professional career on the back burner.‍

Do I start applying for typical corporate jobs like most of my classmates, or do I take a leap of faith and try to pursue my rugby career full-time? In reality, it wasn’t that hard of a decision…

Enter Omnipresent. Even before remote work became the hot new trend that it now is, Omnipresent was helping companies with their remote employment needs and saw where the future of work was heading. I was immediately captivated by the idea, and the benefits for all parties became obvious – allowing companies to attract and retain the best candidates no matter where they are located, and enabling employees to find rewarding work without sacrificing in other areas of their lives. I was thrilled to be presented with an opportunity to come onboard, and ever since I have been able to juggle my training schedule with the demands of my role.

So what do I do? In short, International Expansion. In order to provide the best level of service to our clients and be a true global Employer of Record (EOR) solution, it was imperative for Omnipresent to have international coverage in all corners of the world. Since joining the team, I’ve worked to help expand our offering to include 143 countries and counting. In each of them we ensure that we understand the local employment landscape in order to seamlessly facilitate new hires. Working unusual hours has actually become an asset when trying to coordinate calls globally whether it be in Japan, Nigeria or Argentina (and so many more…)!

With that said, remote work does come with its challenges. Not having a commute can easily allow work to bleed into your morning routine, and in the evenings it can be harder to switch off. It can even mean not leaving home some days when you have nothing else scheduled (but at least you get your moneys worth on rent…). All the necessary tools and processes exist to facilitate remote communication, and even team building, so it’s really just a matter of developing habits to make working remote, work for you.

I feel very fortunate to have found stimulating work, passionate colleagues and a company mission I believe in, all while maintaining the flexibilities that allow for my athletic pursuits. I look forward to continuing to be on the front lines of disrupting the way people work and helping to make this remote work option more universally available.