5 ms·

Better remote work technologies would certainly help. For now, most tech companies have found that working face to face is really vital.

tluyben2 11y ago
They must employ the wrong people (or, more likely, the wrong managers) IMHO. I cannot see how it is vital to sit together every day or even most days of the month. Sure you need it sometimes but so often you need to buy/rent a house 'close' to the office cannot be true. Maybe they are doing something different than the management/development I do?
ryanSrich 11y ago
Perhaps in 1999 this was the case. But technology is no longer a blocker. Often times companies will use this as an excuse instead of just coming out and saying "we prefer asses in seats because it looks good to our bosses".
- beat 11y ago
  It's not that simple. I think a combination of remote work and face-to-face is best, actually. But technology alone is not a solution.
  - ryanSrich 11y ago
    I agree. There's too much to list, but here a few things to note about remote work: - You need to hire people that are great self managers. This needs to be clearly communicated to the employee. - Document everything. The internal wiki is an invaluable tool for a remote company. - Quarterly team meetings are a requirement. You need some face to face time. Getting together at the beginning of each quarter for one week to plan is a great way to reset every 4 months. - Send employees random gift packages and swag. This is a great way to make sure people don't fee left out.
  - tluyben2 11y ago
    It is interesting to think how technology can make it easier / more efficient though.
    - beat 11y ago
      It is! A while back, I was talking to a former colleague and pair-programming partner, and he was singing the praises of using desktop sharing software for pairing, even if when in the same room. It reduced the "driver/passenger" effect and made pairing more effective.
      - JoeAltmaier 11y ago
        Strangely this is not the first time I've heard folks sing the praises of using collaboration tools, even when in the same room. Maybe because headsets and cameras keep you 'in contact' in a way that seems personal, but tones it down below the level of the shared documents. So the work 'volume' is higher than the personalitys'.
- tyre 11y ago
  It's absolutely still a blocker. Remote employment is not the same as meeting face to face with someone. Trust is easier to build in person.
  - Mz 11y ago
    The illusion of trust is easier to build in person. Actual trust is always damn fucking hard work to create. It doesn't matter the medium through which it occurs. I have taken online classes. I generally found them better than classes that thought my ass keeping their chair warm was somehow valuable. It is hard to design a good remote environment, but it is hard to design a good anything.
- petra 11y ago
  With regards to remote work technology , we've done pretty poorly: 1. Normal video chat is awful. We can't create eye to eye contact. We can't see body language. It's not very useful to build trust or bonding that way , and this is critical. There might be solutions but they're only availble to very expensive telepresence suits. 2. We haven't managed to create an informal environment via video chat , say like lunch or the water cooler. 3. Working from home requires a lot of self-discipline which is hard . Social face-to-face pressure works better as a motivator for people in general(see battle units) , and it rarely translate well into electrons. 4. Working from home is isolating, and it might be due to limits of the technology.
  - owyn 11y ago
    Regarding #1 What about The Interrotron? http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663105/errol-morriss-secret-weapon-for-unsettling-interviews-the-interrotron http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663105/errol-morriss-secret-wea... That could be a major improvement for video conferencing. #2 is solved by Slack for us... but still, #3 and #4 is why I don't work at home. :)
    - petra 11y ago
      The interrottron look great. I've search a bit , and there's even DIY instructions for building something similar , pretty easy: http://makezine.com/projects/eye-contact-device/ http://makezine.com/projects/eye-contact-device/ I wonder why it hadn't caught up? Also , if you turn the screen/camera 90 degrees , you may be able to capture body language. With regards to #3/#4 would working in a local communal center, remotely to your job would work ? Is it possible to design some culture that would help with the motivation problem ? Anyway, it feels like something that deserves a sub forum of it's own, with a community experimenting and sharing, right ?
  - ryanSrich 11y ago
    1. I disagree. You can draw a lot from phone conversations and I've developed a great amount of trust in all the remote employees I work with on a daily basis. Certainly you should meet face to face at least 2-5 times per year (once per quarter seems like a great fit), but it's not a requirement to bond with co-workers. 2. I'm not sure you need informal video chat with co-workers. #random/#ideas channels seem to do just fine. 3. Couldn't disagree more. Working from home requires the same amount of discipline as a location-dictated workplace. The difference is that a remote job is much more enlightening because there's no burden of a commute. You also don't have to put on some fake act for a lousy boss that wants you in the office at a certain time. 4. Again, I completely disagree. It's only isolating if you let it be. Get outside for a hike or a walk. Go to a coffeeshop. Find some friends to grab lunch with. I shouldn't have to point these things out. It's pretty obvious that the only way you'd be isolated is if you deliberately lock yourself in the house and never go outside. I've worked remotely for two years now and honestly I'd have an extremely difficult time going back to location-dictated employment.

tluyben2 11y ago

They must employ the wrong people (or, more likely, the wrong managers) IMHO. I cannot see how it is vital to sit together every day or even most days of the month. Sure you need it sometimes but so often you need to buy/rent a house 'close' to the office cannot be true. Maybe they are doing something different than the management/development I do?

ryanSrich 11y ago

Perhaps in 1999 this was the case. But technology is no longer a blocker. Often times companies will use this as an excuse instead of just coming out and saying "we prefer asses in seats because it looks good to our bosses".

beat 11y ago
It's not that simple. I think a combination of remote work and face-to-face is best, actually. But technology alone is not a solution.
- ryanSrich 11y ago
  I agree. There's too much to list, but here a few things to note about remote work: - You need to hire people that are great self managers. This needs to be clearly communicated to the employee. - Document everything. The internal wiki is an invaluable tool for a remote company. - Quarterly team meetings are a requirement. You need some face to face time. Getting together at the beginning of each quarter for one week to plan is a great way to reset every 4 months. - Send employees random gift packages and swag. This is a great way to make sure people don't fee left out.
- tluyben2 11y ago
  It is interesting to think how technology can make it easier / more efficient though.
  - beat 11y ago
    It is! A while back, I was talking to a former colleague and pair-programming partner, and he was singing the praises of using desktop sharing software for pairing, even if when in the same room. It reduced the "driver/passenger" effect and made pairing more effective.
    - JoeAltmaier 11y ago
      Strangely this is not the first time I've heard folks sing the praises of using collaboration tools, even when in the same room. Maybe because headsets and cameras keep you 'in contact' in a way that seems personal, but tones it down below the level of the shared documents. So the work 'volume' is higher than the personalitys'.
tyre 11y ago
It's absolutely still a blocker. Remote employment is not the same as meeting face to face with someone. Trust is easier to build in person.
- Mz 11y ago
  The illusion of trust is easier to build in person. Actual trust is always damn fucking hard work to create. It doesn't matter the medium through which it occurs. I have taken online classes. I generally found them better than classes that thought my ass keeping their chair warm was somehow valuable. It is hard to design a good remote environment, but it is hard to design a good anything.
petra 11y ago
With regards to remote work technology , we've done pretty poorly: 1. Normal video chat is awful. We can't create eye to eye contact. We can't see body language. It's not very useful to build trust or bonding that way , and this is critical. There might be solutions but they're only availble to very expensive telepresence suits. 2. We haven't managed to create an informal environment via video chat , say like lunch or the water cooler. 3. Working from home requires a lot of self-discipline which is hard . Social face-to-face pressure works better as a motivator for people in general(see battle units) , and it rarely translate well into electrons. 4. Working from home is isolating, and it might be due to limits of the technology.
- owyn 11y ago
  Regarding #1 What about The Interrotron? http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663105/errol-morriss-secret-weapon-for-unsettling-interviews-the-interrotron http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663105/errol-morriss-secret-wea... That could be a major improvement for video conferencing. #2 is solved by Slack for us... but still, #3 and #4 is why I don't work at home. :)
  - petra 11y ago
    The interrottron look great. I've search a bit , and there's even DIY instructions for building something similar , pretty easy: http://makezine.com/projects/eye-contact-device/ http://makezine.com/projects/eye-contact-device/ I wonder why it hadn't caught up? Also , if you turn the screen/camera 90 degrees , you may be able to capture body language. With regards to #3/#4 would working in a local communal center, remotely to your job would work ? Is it possible to design some culture that would help with the motivation problem ? Anyway, it feels like something that deserves a sub forum of it's own, with a community experimenting and sharing, right ?
- ryanSrich 11y ago
  1. I disagree. You can draw a lot from phone conversations and I've developed a great amount of trust in all the remote employees I work with on a daily basis. Certainly you should meet face to face at least 2-5 times per year (once per quarter seems like a great fit), but it's not a requirement to bond with co-workers. 2. I'm not sure you need informal video chat with co-workers. #random/#ideas channels seem to do just fine. 3. Couldn't disagree more. Working from home requires the same amount of discipline as a location-dictated workplace. The difference is that a remote job is much more enlightening because there's no burden of a commute. You also don't have to put on some fake act for a lousy boss that wants you in the office at a certain time. 4. Again, I completely disagree. It's only isolating if you let it be. Get outside for a hike or a walk. Go to a coffeeshop. Find some friends to grab lunch with. I shouldn't have to point these things out. It's pretty obvious that the only way you'd be isolated is if you deliberately lock yourself in the house and never go outside. I've worked remotely for two years now and honestly I'd have an extremely difficult time going back to location-dictated employment.