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You have to resolve to work at communicating at or approaching the level you would in a real office. It takes more effort, but I think it can be effectively bal

You have to resolve to work at communicating at or approaching the level you would in a real office. It takes more effort, but I think it can be effectively balanced against the other advantages of working remotely.

jfb 14y ago
Fundamentally, all the remote technologies in the world put together don't even approach the bandwidth of in-person communication. You're right, it can work -- but you have to be constantly vigilant.
- calinet6 14y ago
  Yep, absolutely. We're experimenting with Minecraft. Improvements in culture and productivity are yet to be analyzed...
silverbax88 14y ago
I've worked for companies that did remote well and I've worked for many that did remote poorly. It really has to be an understanding of how people communicate. Theoretically, it should not matter if I'm one desk away from someone or 1,000 miles away, since most people sit at their desks or in their office and communicate over IM or email. But, oh, it does matter. Some companies are just NOT set up to handle remote work, even if they have the technology to do so.
frossie 14y ago
It takes more effort, but I think it can be effectively balanced against the other advantages of working remotely. Yes, that is the trade-off the remote worker makes. However it is important to understand that the folks on the employer's side also have to make that extra effort to manage communication effectively with remote workers, and they don't get the advantages of working remotely. That is not to say that it should never be done (doing a project with remote workers is indeed advantageous in certain scenarios), but the balance of the advantages in remote working (barring financial overhead issues like providing an office) are with the worker. So one should not be surprised that companies want you to relocate before they know about you. Now for certain individuals, it is to the benefit of the company to support the remote working agreement because of the value they get from working with that particular individual. Which is why there is a huge selection effect when people blog "hey, I telecommute and don't lack in work". It's similar to a famous actor saying "hey, I don't do anything special and I don't lack in dates". The people who couldn't find work that way? They relocated and aren't blogging about remote working. But absolutely - if you can make it work for yourself, go for it - no argument that it improves your quality of life.

jfb 14y ago

Fundamentally, all the remote technologies in the world put together don't even approach the bandwidth of in-person communication. You're right, it can work -- but you have to be constantly vigilant.

calinet6 14y ago
Yep, absolutely. We're experimenting with Minecraft. Improvements in culture and productivity are yet to be analyzed...

silverbax88 14y ago

I've worked for companies that did remote well and I've worked for many that did remote poorly. It really has to be an understanding of how people communicate. Theoretically, it should not matter if I'm one desk away from someone or 1,000 miles away, since most people sit at their desks or in their office and communicate over IM or email. But, oh, it does matter. Some companies are just NOT set up to handle remote work, even if they have the technology to do so.

frossie 14y ago

It takes more effort, but I think it can be effectively balanced against the other advantages of working remotely. Yes, that is the trade-off the remote worker makes. However it is important to understand that the folks on the employer's side also have to make that extra effort to manage communication effectively with remote workers, and they don't get the advantages of working remotely. That is not to say that it should never be done (doing a project with remote workers is indeed advantageous in certain scenarios), but the balance of the advantages in remote working (barring financial overhead issues like providing an office) are with the worker. So one should not be surprised that companies want you to relocate before they know about you. Now for certain individuals, it is to the benefit of the company to support the remote working agreement because of the value they get from working with that particular individual. Which is why there is a huge selection effect when people blog "hey, I telecommute and don't lack in work". It's similar to a famous actor saying "hey, I don't do anything special and I don't lack in dates". The people who couldn't find work that way? They relocated and aren't blogging about remote working. But absolutely - if you can make it work for yourself, go for it - no argument that it improves your quality of life.