4 ms·

Ask HN: Founders – is anything holding you back from going fully remote?

• carmen_sandiego 6y ago
  I think it's way easier to stay aligned when you see each other in person at least sometimes. Maybe it's possible with remote but it seems like a big effort then to orchestrate what comes naturally when everyone is in the same physical space. Plus 50% of people appear to hate the forced team building Zoom social events that get dreamed up to (poorly) address these issues. Me too.
  • nyootron 6y ago
    Aligned not in terms of getting work done, but in terms of social bonding, right? That does make sense.
    • carmen_sandiego 6y ago
      Well I think both are intertwined. It's a lot easier to get everyone pulling in the same direction with the help of social bonding. Partly what I see in remote work is a deterioration of good faith assumptions. E.g. two people on different teams, who would normally see each other and chat in a small office, end up never really interacting when we're remote (just because they don't happen to have meetings together, say). If Person A then does something that affects the work of Person B, I find that Person B is more likely to interpret this action negatively or as being detrimental to the overall company goals if they don't have regular social interaction with Person A.
• muzani 6y ago
  I think most companies would love to work remotely if it was effective. They save money on rent and save on commute time and other expenses. But the reality is that not 100% of people can work remote, so by going 100% remote, you're limiting the number of people you can hire.
  • nyootron 6y ago
    Hmm. It only suits certain personality types you mean? Any impressions on what they may be?
    • muzani 6y ago
      Some find it hard to communicate remotely, whether it's socially or work related. Some people binge on games or porn when they get stuck on something tough. I'd love to say that everyone who has a degree and can do assignments are mature enough, but some people just have self-control problems.
    • cosmodisk 6y ago
      I manage a group of people and we went fully remote when Covid started last year. Personally,I am a fan of remote work and I don't want to go back to office environment, unless it's literally across the road from where I live. Having said that, I do understand why some people want to be in the office: remote can feel disconnecting. My team occasionally have really tough moments due to work specifics,so they used to go outside and just vent out,talk to each other. You can't really replicate it over Zoom. Some people rely more heavily on those around them for day to day support,so they can struggle when left on their own at home. Not everyone has a good environment to work from home. No company is solving this by saying 'you know what,why don't you get yourself a big house,so you could work quietly'. Heck,even my boss with a nice house was running some meetings from his kids room, because that was the only quite place in his house. For some people,work is life and their colleagues are friends, or at least those they spend some time outside work. It is important for some, while other don't care. Written commutation is difficult for many: people rarely can express themselves well in writing,as opposed to a few min chat face to face. This creates some absurd situation from time to time and it has made me completely rethink some priorities,when hiring people.
• CherishSantoshi 6y ago
  Nothing holding back, though in-person work from office works better.
• rajacombinator 6y ago
  “I’m paying all these code monkeys, I want them at their **ing desks.” - basically the thought process of all non-remote employers.