5 Tips for Thriving in a Remote or Hybrid Position — And Other Advice on Our Evolving Workplace

Victoria Grandury, CSPM Product Manager, and Amy Lodato, Principal Technical Writer, are experts at excelling in their hybrid and remote roles at Sysdig.

Grandury, for instance, manages a team that spans Israel and Italy, with a manager who was, until recently, on the West Coast. “This means that my work days typically begin at full speed with back-to-back meetings that quiet down around one p.m.,” she tells us. “I then have deep work time during the second half of the day.” Thanks to the ability to work remotely with people across the world, Grandury is able to excel in her responsibility of managing the entire feature and product development lifecycle for Sysdig’s Cloud Security Inventory.

Meanwhile, her colleague Lodato has experienced life as both a hybrid and fully remote worker during her five-and-a-half years at Sysdig. Lodato shares how, throughout it all, she’s appreciated the ability to have flexible hours that adjust with her lifestyle. This means that, “while I start early some days, I’m able to take breaks and work when it works for me,” explains Lodato. “I generally work from home with my dog, Bear, and take breaks to garden, walk, do yoga, or meet a friend for lunch. Sometimes, I switch to a co-working office, cafe, or library.”

Throughout their experience as remote and hybrid employees, Grandury and Lodato have compiled five top tips for excelling in these types of roles:

1. Don’t be stationary! Use “third spaces” to shake up your routine, avoid isolation, and get away from distractions inside the house. You can also try to leave your home as early as possible to get direct sunlight within the first hour of waking up. And don’t forget to move your body during the day by doing things like going for a walk, having a solo dance party, stretching, working out, or doing yoga.  (Grandury and Lodato)

2. Interact with real people. Find ways to socialize and make human connections to boost your overall mood and overcome any anxieties stemming from spending too much time alone. The isolation of a remote schedule can sneak up on you, so it may be necessary to add “real life” back into your day intentionally. Put events like family time on your calendar! (Grandury and Lodato)

3. Set boundaries. When working from home, it’s important to not let work creep into every single part of your life and living space. Have a dedicated area as your office, and set aside time to pursue interests that aren’t work related. (Grandury)

4. Know yourself. Be aware of when you’re most productive, and try to avoid distractions at those times. And, on the other hand, try to schedule undemanding meetings and breaks for your “tired times” of the day. (Lodato)

5. Be disciplined. Make commitments to yourself that you keep, such as waking up early and logging off by a certain time. By repeatedly putting yourself first, you are more likely to be focused and motivated at work. (Grandury)

For more great advice on working remotely or in a hybrid environment, work-life balance, and the future of work, read on!

To start us off, what’s the most memorable piece of career advice you’ve ever received?

Grandury: “Never stop learning; if you have, it’s time to change things up.”

My Partner at Deloitte told me this very shortly after joining consulting. Since then, my entire career has been based on seeking and flourishing in uncharted territory. If I start to get bored or find my day-to-day activities too easy, I look for new opportunities to grow.

Lodato: “If you can, make company culture your top priority when taking a job”

Smart, collaborative colleagues and healthy, respectful leadership are top priorities and the keys to a happy work life. When those ingredients are in place, most things can be worked out.

As a remote/hybrid worker, could you describe Sysdig’s hybrid/remote work policies? How do these policies positively impact employees?

Grandury: Last year, a month into Sysdig, I had the privilege to meet the entire Secure Product team at our headquarters in San Francisco. A couple of months later, I traveled to Tel Aviv for planning workshops with my Engineering and Design team. I cherish offsites because they enable me to build trust with my teammates through shared experiences.

Even though I reside in the U.S., most of my family is in Europe. Since Sysdig supports “work from anywhere,” I have been able to visit grandparents and extended family without having to take time off. This policy has also provided me with the flexibility to book travel around periods where prices are inflated and to extend personal trips to meet up with colleagues in one of our satellite offices for in-person collaboration. Finally, we are offered a monthly allowance toward wellness or remote work expenses. I have used it to further invest in career coaching, coworking passes, and social experiences as a way to counter the feeling of isolation that can come from solo remote work in a small environment.

Lodato: Even before the pandemic, technical writing fit well with remote work and many of my colleagues already lived continents away. Because Sysdig is so global, they enabled remote work early, and we now use our offices as welcome gathering places. And, since employees are trusted and respected, no one micromanages our time spent at a desk, but, rather, the quality and timeliness of the work produced. 

Outside of your work, how do you “check out” and focus on your personal life? And how does Sysdig support you in doing this?

Grandury: My most important boundary with work is that I don’t have Slack on my phone. Once I close my laptop, I’m “checked out”. No one has ever texted me about work or requested that I install the app, which lets me be fully present when relaxing on weekends or spending time with friends and family. It’s important for me to let my brain rest and not be overwhelmed with notifications.

I’m also a big believer in blocking time on my calendar if I have a medical appointment, a session with my coach, or a personal commitment that I need to log off earlier for. That way, if someone happens to be looking for me when I am away from my keyboard during the day or after hours, it is clear to them when I’ll be back (if at all).

Lodato: For most of my time at Sysdig, I was a single mom of two, and Sysdig’s global scheduling made it possible for me to be there for them after school and to be present at all the big events of our family life.

Now that I have an empty nest in a new state, I spend free time meeting new people, hiking, swimming, working on creative writing, and yes — sometimes spending extra time working and evolving our products and team.

Overall, how does Sysdig help support work-life balance?

Grandury: Sysdig closes for a week over the winter holiday and offers several Wellness Days throughout the year around statutory holidays. It’s really nice to get extra time off at the same time as everyone else in the company; receiving zero pings makes disconnecting even easier. Due to the distributed nature of its workforce, I also really appreciate Sysdig’s impact- and performance-driven culture. This means that I can do some of my deep work at times most convenient for me and schedule around personal commitments like boxing classes or a friend’s farewell lunch.

In addition to being a PM, outside of Sysdig, I’m also a HypnoBreathwork Coach. I have offered these meditation sessions to my Engineering team on a monthly basis and the wider company ad-hoc. I love that I have the privilege to bring my passion into the workplace, all the while supporting my colleagues’ need for a mental break.

Lodato: Sysdig maintains a generous vacation policy (by U.S. standards), along with quarterly Wellness Days, mental health offerings, remote work options, and fluid work hours. They even provide $100/month as a company perk to be spent on house-cleaning help. All these things make it easier to be productive and high performing. 

Finally, looking ahead, what do you see as the future of work?

Grandury: Remote work offers businesses and employees more freedom and flexibility. The talent pool is much more global, and the time saved for commuting can be allocated to passions and interests. Unfortunately, the fundamental drawback of remote work is that it breaks down human connection, which is a fundamental need for our species.

I definitely see remote work as here to stay. However, I think businesses are going to look into various avenues to support in-person interactions, whether it be through smaller offices across the globe or allocating budget for experiences that instigate team bonding and creative flow. Companies need to focus on feeding their employees’ sense of belonging to a cause or purpose bigger than themselves.

Lodato: That’s anybody’s guess. Will AI eliminate our jobs or make them richer and more interesting? Will workers gain influence and humanize the culture, or lose more influence? Will we create jobs that solve our big problems, or keep going down the path of cultural distraction? I know which side I hope for. And companies on the cutting edge like Sysdig can help define the positive work culture of the future.

Looking for a hybrid or remote role yourself? Consider joining the Sysdig team today!

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