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?
Whenever possible, remote work should be an organic extension of the company’s personality and outlook.
Our remote work policy was a formal part of our business plan from the beginning. The company is now 3 years old (formed, 2013).
Formally. All hires are brought into the company under the premise that they work remotely.
Can a remote-friendly company have a healthy culture?
Yes, absolutely, but this includes a lot of work. You have to agree on values and hire for attitude, not (only) for skills. An in-depth…
Absolutely. The keys for us have been maintaining ongoing, open communication as a group, whether by Whatsapp, instant chat, email, Skype and phone, and ensuring…
Absolutely. I think being remote defines our culture. It demands self-discipline of all parties, which yields top performers. In our case we leverage a management…
How do you nurture your company’s culture in a remote work environment?
We make sure to all get together as a company on a regular basis. For example, we have two team members that live out of…
We do very regular team calls, and we have a “virtual water cooler” room in Slack where we talk about anything not related to work;…
Our culture is the product of everybody involved, so we try to reflect if the culture we have is the culture we want to have.…
What advice would you give to a team considering to go remote?
Go for it. It’s super unlikely you’ll be disappointed. It makes everything easier. But, be sure to get together in real space here and there…
First, be sure to hire the right people: working remotely can be challenging. If they never experienced this kind of work, ask them to try…
Be accommodating and flexible. You will receive their dedication in return.
What challenges have you encountered building a remote team?
We’ve been remote workers before Workfrom. We’re pretty well versed in the challenges that face remote teams. Most challenges revolve around easy yet reliable communication,…
Not being able to fully rely on people holding themselves responsible for their work goals and deadlines. Micro-management is always a pending threat with new…
At first we tried to have a casual meeting structure. This was extremely stressful and kept different team members in the dark about what others…
What are the most effective tools for remote team communication?
The easiest ways are through Slack, Basecamp, and email with a splash of Zapier (if you don’t know Zapier…please look it up now!). These tools…
Skype, Video Conference, Basecamp/Asana, and of course Email. We also use tools like Tinypulse for soliciting consistent feedback and sending “cheers” to team members.
We love Google for Work! Google Hangouts are a great way to connect face to face with teammates on a video call or to quickly reach…
What has changed about how your remote team operates?
Our growth has played a large role in us becoming even more intentional about our communication. When we had a team of a dozen people,…
The communication has gotten better between the team. We are a very tight-knit “travel family” and our goal is to service our clients in the…
As our team has grown we have been slowly shifting from a company of generalists where everyone does a bit of everything to a place…
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…
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…
Currently, all of our remote employees are in the same time zone. We are a 24/7 operation so we do encounter scheduling conflicts with our…