Working Remotely
140 companies answer 6 questions
Working remotely comes with unique day-to-day challenges. From the initial step of implementing remote policy to nurturing company culture while operating remotely, we ask leading remote companies to share how they approach running their distributed teams from an operational level.
How did you implement a remote work policy?
Skillcrush has been a remote company from the start and because remote work aligns so well with our mission and lifestyle, it was a no-brainer!…
We intentionally started a virtual staffing agency with the intent of showing the world how this can be done, and by living it ourselves.
Remote work has been in Trello’s DNA since day one- we build a tool that helps people collaborate and get projects done, so our team…
Can a remote-friendly company have a healthy culture?
Absolutely, any company can have a healthy culture if they nurture it well. We try to foster foster a strong performance-based culture by having a…
Absolutely. One of our biggest assets is our company culture, and we work hard to cultivate it. It starts with hiring the right people. There…
Absolutely! We’ve been working on building Buffer’s healthy company culture from the start. The key thing for us was setting values as a team in…
How do you nurture your company’s culture in a remote work environment?
Our online forum is an important part of our company, a place where everyone can share ideas and chat—a virtual water cooler, if you will.
We encourage people to bring their whole selves to their work. We have channels in Slack for people to share their love of games, literature,…
We embrace working remotely rather than shying away from it. All of our crew get a Timely robe on their one year anniversary. We celebrate…
What advice would you give to a team considering to go remote?
Create a culture where folks track all of their time. I believe that it keeps people focused on delivering value and also helps you see…
You can do your job whenever and wherever you want .. as long as you get your desired results. Working remotely surely brings a lot…
It’s important to ensure that your company’s business model lines up with having a remote workforce. If your company’s process or area of business thrives…
What challenges have you encountered building a remote team?
Finding the right people, who can manage themselves, be focused at work and able to work on their own.
The main challenges are time zones and cultures. You need to make sure projects run smoothly and that nobody is stuck waiting for someone’s reply…
Finding the right talent – people that flourish in remote environments. Communicating goals and objectives and ensuring those flow through the organization. Coordinating complex projects…
What are the most effective tools for remote team communication?
We rely on tools such as Slack, Zoom, and Trello to communicate and plan our daily work commitments. I’m not saying we are perfect and…
Phone calls are useful. As are group chat tools like Slack, and email too. It’s a mix.
I think using tools in a smart way has helped our company a lot. For teams working asynchronously, Trello for project management and Slack for…
What has changed about how your remote team operates?
The team is constantly growing, so communication changed. We need to make sure to stay as transparent as possible, for example by sharing meeting notes…
Technology is constantly changing and improving the way we interact remotely.
We used to have employees who worked in different states, but over time we have found it valuable to live close enough to each other…
How does your team address different time zone challenges?
We make sure everyone coming on board understands the different time zones. We work together to identify when the majority of workers are available and…
Our team works asynchronously and communicates largely via Slack, which keeps us organized across 17 time zones. Keeping an up-to-date shared calendar is also very…
Mostly that’s a challenge for our teachers. Class schedules have to revolve around Chinese kids’ lives. In New York time, class slots are open starting…