Advice Wanted: Remote work

Question

I'm being headhunted for a remote, Associate Director position.  It is a definite career step up.  My research says the company has a strong remote work culture.  I am intrigued because my current role is the best in the area and I have been unwilling to move due to a long term illness with a family member.  I'm a primary caregiver.  Does anyone work remote and able to give an opinion on if it helps or hinders flexibility?

Elizabeth Marie · Answer

Deciding where you work when it comes to remote life is also a factor. Would you have an office? Would you work from home? I used to work from home but it got too much not being around human interaction everyday so I started coffee shop hopping around to change up my surroundings. This might not be an ideal situation if you tend to be on the phone a lot. You never know what kind of background noise you'll get into. It was an incredible situation for me because I was surrounded by people socializing but I was never personally interrupted.

SeyiraSky · Answer

When you are remote you have to prioritize connection.  It seems there would be a bleed over to evenings and weekends - some is just the nature of the world but there are times I need to be 'fully present' as a caregiver and I have a worry that a fully remote role would require an 'Always on' mentality

Anonymous · Answer

Congratulations on your new potential role! I've worked on-site, fully remote and also had a hybrid situation where I was working in a different office and time zone from my manager so even though I was on-site I felt like I was sort of working remotely. I would definitely say that being a remote worker (even partially) makes flexibility easier, not harder. This is true even if there is no culture of face time at your office/company. There are just certain things that get in the way of controlling your own hours when you are not remote. Little things like colleagues stopping by your desk at the end of the day, or an unspoken pressure to sort of be around when your colleagues are around end up hurting flexibility -- or perhaps more accurately -- precision around your schedule compared to when you work fully remotely. That's my experience anyway...in fact, I can't really imagine how working remotely hurts flexibility. What scenario were you envisioning there?

Alison · Answer

Congrats on the new opportunity.  I've worked 100% remote for a little over the last year, as well as off and on in the past, and it has its major perks and its major challenges.  In agreeing with what everyone said above, this is the best and worst of working remote for me.

Perks:
1.  Increased Flexibility and Comfort - creating your own schedule and not having to commute is glorious.  You can also get more sleep if you don't have to beat the morning commute rush.  If you are on video calls or conference calls all day, you can wear yoga pants and fuzzy socks on the lower half of your body and no one will ever see you!  
2.  Increased Efficiency - being able to multi-task to manage daily life while working (running the laundry while on calls, grocery shopping or hitting the gym during the day, taking your dog for a walk, being able to receive packages or be home to let the plumber in, etc.)
3.  Increased Productivity - quiet, uninterrupted work - no one is distracting you or trying to talk to you, you should be able to get more done and faster
4.  Reduced Expenses - saving money on going out to coffee/breakfast/lunch, reduced commuting expenses, having to buy less clothing and products - no one sees/remembers the blazer you wore on a conference call for 30 minutes, you feel less compelled to buy new 'work' clothes for the office, and if you don't have video calls (or even if you do), it's up to you whether you want to put in the effort for makeup and styling your hair.

Potential Challenges:
1.  You need an optimal work space -I currently work from home in a tiny, dark apartment, with no home office, and there is a ton of construction going on in my neighborhood so it's very loud during the day.  I try to get out and work at coffee shops, but it's too hard with the amount of video calls I'm on during the day, so I'm stuck in a painful work from home environment.  Suggestion:  I started finding other remote workers to work with at coffee shops on days I don't have calls, or I go to their homes on days I do.  Also, the days you are working from home - make sure your house is clean and organized.  A dirty or messy house can elevate your stress level.  
2.  Isolation - I work a lot of hours and there are days I literally don't leave the house.  My partner comes home and asks, 'Did you go outside today?'  And the answer is no, I've been working all day.  Suggestions:  Find reasons to go outside - even if just to take a walk or run that errand.  Sometimes it means getting fully dressed for the first time at 5 PM and going to meet a friend for coffee.
3.  Increased hours - if you are not careful, you can lose sight of work - life balance as it no longer applies; it transforms into work-life flow.  Because there is no separation of work from home and it reflects in your physical and mental space.  It's easy to fall into the trap of doing administrative tasks while watching TV at night, or working on weekends because you literally live in your office.  If you are going to work from home successfully, you need to learn to shut it off.  Suggestions:  Block out time in your calendar for the work day and stop working and put your laptop in a drawer or closet when the time is up.  If your laptop sits on your coffee or kitchen table, you are more likely to grab it and pop it open for 'one thing' that turns into ten.  
4.  Lack of employee relationships/promotion opportunities - this may not apply if this company has an amazing remote work culture, but it's possible to miss a lot of opportunities to bond with co-workers and to connect with leadership.  There is no getting coffee or a drink or lunch with coworkers.  You will miss company social activities.  People won't pick up the phone and call you or even slack you as much if you can just ask the person at the desk next to you.  You could wonder if people will think of you when it comes time for promotion because you just don't get the face time with decision makers at your company and people don't know you as well, and may not get your personality or understand you because they have such limited, one dimensional interactions with you, mostly over email and slack.  Suggestions:  Use video chat whenever you can, and take the time to call people instead of just email and slack or IM.  Take every opportunity to connect with co-workers in person at company events.  Tell people when you are feeling isolated and ask them to reach out to you when they have a question - you can still help even if you are 3,000 miles away.  And if there is an office, take opportunities to go into from time to time to connect with your colleagues.

Overall, it's an amazing opportunity, but you just need to set boundaries for your work - life flow and take every opportunity to engage with people inside and outside your company during the day.  If you are the primary caregiver, this is a great way to be able to be there for someone you love and create a work-life flow that allows for that.

Advice Wanted: Remote work

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