🌴 Random Remote Work Thoughts

A very important thing to remember with remote work is that you must consistently over-communicate (people should be made aware of what the company is doing and nobody should feel left out) and be a lot more empathetic of people's lifestyle than in a regular office.

Some employees are in their 20s traveling the world. Some are parents raising their 2nd child. Your culture should accomodate to all.

Text doesn't convey emotion well and it's easy to be ambiguous. A good default is to assume good intentions and don't forget to add that extra emoji 😉

Time zones can be difficult. Big time. Depending on your global distribution, sometimes someone has to be up at a weird hour. Although you can't avoid that entirely, you can minimize it by establishing an async work culture (urgency must be demanded not assumed, people can rotate responsibilities, you can minimize company-wide meetings, etc)

Loneliness can creep up quickly. You must be cognizant of your team member's schedules, interests, personalities and make a consistent effort to engage. 1-1 time is essential. Check-in with each other.

Flexible work hours are great. (you can work at your peak productivity time) though sometimes it's easy to lose track of time. Go outside and take a walk in the park. Exercise. Meet up with friends. Watch a Netflix show. Have a healthy balance. Mental health is paramount.

Take advantage of the freedom! Create a comfortable work environment. Choose the balance between a co-working space or your home office that works for you. Travel if you can (and want to).