Remote Work Real Challenges

I remember in 2013 I was thinking that in 5 years almost every IT company would allow and embrace remote work. That seemed to be so reasonable and simple at that time. But it is 2018 already and "Remote Work Revolution" hasn't happened yet. Why?

This is a "bug" in human thinking

Yes, the technology that allows to work remotely appeared not long ago. Without such tools as instant messengers, task trackers and video chats that was not possible. And as it usually happens, it takes time for the majority to accept something new. Here are some examples of thinking "bugs" that are still popular these days:

• "Huh, those guys do not even have a fancy office downtown. They do not seem to be a serious business"
• "My parents used to wear suits and go to their offices every day; I should do the same"
• " How can I know if my employees are working when I can't see them?"
• "How can we create our own company culture if we are located in different countries?"

Remote work is a complex skill

Remote work is not for everyone. When you work remotely:

• Nobody is watching you. The only measure of your productivity is actual contribution you do.
• You don't have strict hours. It is your responsibility to manage your time and plan in advance if you need someone to be online to answer your questions.
• You need to deal with distractors. When working from home, it is a challenge to stay focused on your job rather than switch your attention to PS4 or Netflix.
• You need to take care of your work place. Buy a comfortable desk and chair, find a co-working spot or good coffee shop to work from.
• Fear of missing out. Offices create tacit "in the loop" information flow when everybody shares their news & updates in a natural way. In remote teams there should be processes and culture set up to create that flow.

Office is a simple framework that everyone uses. It doesn't require self-discipline - you have a manager behind who is watching you. It does not require time management skills - you have strict working hours from 9 to 5. You don't need to think about your work place - you have a monitor, desk and chair provided by your employer.

Bottom line

At datarockets we have spent more than 4 years to build the culture of remote work. Still, we have a lot of challenges to overcome. But those of us, who really understands the value and freedom that remote work provides, are happy to fight the tradeoffs mentioned in this post.