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?
It was completely organic; our very first employees were remote.
Our company quite literally started complete remote, so it was part of our formation.
Our remote work policy was implemented formally in 2009 via Dell’s Connected Workplace program. This program enables eligible team members to work remotely, at variable…
Can a remote-friendly company have a healthy culture?
Sure, by following a similar transparent process and a welcoming environment nurturing remote teams and rewarding proactiveness, feedback, and criticism. Our CEO and our top…
Absolutely! Treat your company culture as a product that is just as important as the product or services that you sell to your customers. Be…
Absolutely. But you have to work hard to garner it by using internal company jokes, slangs, and other fun stuff. A chat tool is essential,…
How do you nurture your company’s culture in a remote work environment?
We focus on the pillars of our culture: Fun, Action, Communication, Transparency, Trust (FACTT). Fun – Meetups, video chats just to make each other laugh.…
No gossip policy Empower employees who know they are trusted Servant leadership—invest in our people (holistically, not just professionally) Live out our core values and…
It all starts with the hiring process – we put a lot of time and effort into hiring people who embody our values, like taking…
What advice would you give to a team considering to go remote?
It’s not as hard as it sounds. There are definitely obstacles but if you have great, highly accountable and responsible people working for you, where…
Ensure your culture and management support it. It’s one thing to allow remote work, but it’s another to fully support it. If “face time”…
First, make sure you have the type of people who can actually get work done at home (and thrive in that environment). It came naturally…
What challenges have you encountered building a remote team?
The main challenge is finding the right fit, since as I mentioned before, it is not for everyone. Remote working can be very isolating, so…
We’re all still figuring out the best way to do this, so little has been codified on how to do it well. Every challenge is…
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…
What are the most effective tools for remote team communication?
We have different levels of communication. For anything that needs to be written at length, we use standard email or we ping each other on…
We have an online community for our teachers and rarely intervene.
Everything is communicated over Slack & Trello.
What has changed about how your remote team operates?
As Trello has grown, we’ve had to implement various other communication tools. For example, we have a weekly “Company Overview” board, where we update projects…
Remote working had previously not been as widespread as it is becoming. New tools and ways of working has made it easier to accommodate home…
We have gotten closer as a team as we grow. We have new technology that connects us instantly and we have grown more as a…
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…
First, establishing ahead of time when team members will be available. Second, hiring individuals who are willing to be flexible when necessary to coordinate with team members…
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…