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We did start out remote. This was a deliberate choice from the get-go.

Remote work is vital to our business model since we operate in a highly competitive industry. We’re able to seek out the best talent no matter their location in the country.

The elimination of commuting. Instead of fighting rush hour traffic, we’re able to focus on daily goals from the start without aggravation. Research shows commuting contributes to job burnout, and not having to drive to work every day saves thousands of dollars on car expenses.

Also, being able to take effective breaks! Instead of going to the break room to get another cup of coffee or wasting time on the internet, I can visit with my kids who are with the sitter or go for a quick run.

Someone who is accustomed to having a huge part of their social life come from work can raise a red flag. We lean towards candidates who love to travel, value having a flexible lifestyle, or have worked remotely in the past. These types of candidates are often strong culture fits and successful at The Cheat Sheet.

A heavy emphasis is placed on whether working remotely will be a good fit for a candidate. People tend to either love or hate working remotely and it is important that we make sure each candidate understands the benefits and challenges of our remote work environment before joining the company. We strongly filter for candidates who are extremely self-motivated, thrive when working individually and are clear communicators via digital channels (Slack, Email, Phone, etc).

We don’t require it, but we certainly encourage it. We just initiated a new exciting program to incentivize our employees to get together socially. One of the best perks of working virtually is the ability to work from anywhere, and many of our team members love to travel. We have employees located all over the country, so in order to encourage them to get together when they travel, we reimburse a dinner, a concert, or activity- anything they want, as long as they send us a picture of their activity. There is a lot of excitement around this initiative and we hope this will encourage everyone to get together socially and form bonds that make work more fun and collaborative.
From a work perspective, we make frequent use of video chats on Skype or Google Hangouts which does feel more personal than an email or phone call.  In addition, I will often meet my colleague who lives in the area at a coffee shop to work together.

We set clearly defined metrics for all of our team members every quarter.  This empowers everyone to work smarter and get their work done without worrying about putting in “face time”.

It takes extra effort to build a rapport with everyone. There are no incidental conversations that happen on the way to the break room in a virtual office. We addressed this need by creating a “virtual watercooler” on Slack, among numerous other culture-building activities.  A strong culture is very important to us at The Cheat Sheet.

We allow team members to use whichever device(s) they feel most comfortable working with. The Cheat Sheet does allocate company computers to our employees as needed as well.

We have a flexible time off policy which provides employees with a generous amount of vacation, allowing them to take off whichever holidays they want.

From the very beginning, our founders (Damien and Derek Hoffman) knew that we would be a completely virtual company. Most media companies are based in New York City, but Damien and Derek don’t subscribe to the theory that NYC is where all the best talent is. The fact is that there are extremely talented employees living all over the country and we want to recruit the absolute best. So this was a conscientious choice.

Yes! Communication is key for building a healthy company culture. An open-door policy through the entire organization flow chart plays an important role for remote companies since nonverbal cues are lacking in the digital world.

If you’re considering the remote working path, start small. Offer remote working options one or two days a week to select employees and evaluate the results. You can expand from there as you see fit.

A combination of online tools such as email, video conferencing, and real-time messaging apps such as Slack brings everyone together at The Cheat Sheet.

I keep it simple. I have a home office with a desk, laptop, notepad and pen, and a few of my favorite business books.

A work life balance can be tricky for remote workers, especially if you enjoy what you do. To help leave work behind on the weekends, I keep my laptop shut and email unchecked as much as possible.

The Tao of Warren Buffett

I’m picky about my work locations so the worst place I’ve worked was a busy McDonald’s, which really wasn’t that bad. The best place is simply my home office.