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?
We have always worked remotely. In fact as a start-up not having to fund an office was financially very helpful.
It was a natural step to build the company with a remote workforce, but it was done with mindfulness and intention. We feel that is…
First we developed the idea for our business model, then we implemented our plans by hiring a workforce of talented employees from all over the…
Can a remote-friendly company have a healthy culture?
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…
Yes, definitely. At Toptal, we do a mixture of onsite and virtual events. Online, the company is like a MMORPG. We always get a lot…
Absolutely. In fact, in order to have a successful remote force, it’s vital to have a healthy company culture to keep employees inspired and working…
How do you nurture your company’s culture in a remote work environment?
We have Slack channels dedicated to all sorts of interests, from fitness to cooking to travel. Our teams meet anywhere from daily to weekly by…
I continually advocate the need to communicate, with me and with each other.
(a) At the start of our weekly one-on-one calls, we take a few minutes to talk about something that we are enjoying being involved with…
What advice would you give to a team considering to go remote?
You must excel at “human” connection. Dispersed workers still need nurturing. Find ways to reach through the technology and make people feel like people. You…
Do it. Whether you’re a small company or a large organization, embracing remote workers allows you to find talent outside of a geographic location, increase…
Be sure you’re willing to put in the time and effort to hire people who are a fit for the remote culture. Are they independent,…
What challenges have you encountered building a remote team?
You have to be very deliberate about how you communicate. You have to communicate more and clearer. That takes some getting used to, but in…
Our company was built on its foundation as a remote organization since 2007, so it’s always been in our DNA to examine any challenges through…
Getting everyone on the same page! Since we don’t “see” each other on a consistent basis every day, we have to constantly be thinking about…
What are the most effective tools for remote team communication?
We have found that most of our effective communication comes from two factors: frequency and consistency. Our team leads, for example, meet on a daily…
Remote work has become much easier now that there are so many tools to help teams stay connected and collaborate. We of course do most…
We are Skype addicts. Everyone across the company is on Skype at all times during the work day. In addition to instant communication, we also…
What has changed about how your remote team operates?
We have gotten smarter about the tools we use, better at documentation and checklists, better at reporting, and we’ve spent more time in-person periodically throughout…
We actually started as a fully remote team. So one change was having a “home” office and having some of the staff working together in…
Technology is constantly changing and improving the way we interact remotely.
How does your team address different time zone challenges?
Everyone adds their working hours to company calendar, then each team leader knows very well when everyone is on working time. This allows us to…
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…
Slack and JIRA—the platform we use to track development tasks—are asynchronous tools, allowing us to manage communication even with different time zones. Of course, sometimes…
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