A Short Rant About Working Remotely

#1

Post by speric » Thu, Jan 31, 2013, 2:26 PM UTC

A Short Rant About Working Remotely
ericfarkas.com

Re: A Short Rant About Working Remotely

#2

Post by BudVVeezer » Thu, Jan 31, 2013, 2:55 PM UTC

I agree entirely -- I've been telecommuting for ten years now, and this is easily the #1 reason the recruitment process fails with me (with small companies as well as large).

Re: A Short Rant About Working Remotely

#3

Post by spartango » Thu, Jan 31, 2013, 3:02 PM UTC

I think it really depends on what you are doing and how your company culture has adapted to that.

For example, my company's work in the biomedical space often necessitates us being in partner and customer labs to best understand workflows. While it's possible for us to have some elements of our development be remote, we strongly prefer keeping things local; we believe it's important for everyone on the team to have exposure to the domain we work in. This is a cultural choice we've made, but it does make remote work tricky.

Re: A Short Rant About Working Remotely

#4

Post by babuskov » Thu, Jan 31, 2013, 3:02 PM UTC

It's all about trust. Can the employer trust the employee to work honestly and be dedicated to the company without having another job or occasional project on the side. When startup is small, every minute of focus counts.

Easiest way to make this work is to give developers enough equity, so they are motivated for startup to succeed more or equally as getting the paycheck. Eric's POV stands, but he's a co-founder, he has a significant stake in the success of the company.

Re: A Short Rant About Working Remotely

#5

Post by ZiadHilal » Thu, Jan 31, 2013, 3:03 PM UTC

I've been working remotely for 1 year and 3 months. The company I'm working for checks in once a week for about 20 minutes, other than that all communication is done through basecamp. I have to admit it's really hard for me and I just handed in my two weeks notice. I feel so isolated working from home and not being around other co-workers. I miss seing and interacting with other people. I'll be looking for a new job in New York next month and I'm really excited.

Why do you guys want to work from home? Isn't the isolation during the working hours hard on you?

Re: A Short Rant About Working Remotely

#6

Post by Nursie » Thu, Jan 31, 2013, 3:06 PM UTC

It works for some people and not for others.

Some people have experience with folks 'working from home' that are not 100% positive. Some folks (like me) have experiences working remotely that are not 100% positive.

And yes, casual, face to face communication is an important dynamic, even for tech workers.

Re: A Short Rant About Working Remotely

#7

Post by speric » Thu, Jan 31, 2013, 3:06 PM UTC

babuskov wrote: post #4

It's all about trust. Can the employer trust the employee to work honestly and be dedicated to the company without having another job or occasional project on the side. When startup is small, every minute of focus counts. Easiest way to make this work is to give developers enough equity, so they are motivated for startup to succeed more or equally as getting the paycheck. Eric's POV stands, but he's a co-founder, he…

Your point is taken, but it seems to me that if my employer can't trust me to work remotely, then they shouldn't hire me at all. How can you employ (or work for) someone you can't trust?

Re: A Short Rant About Working Remotely

#8

Post by davidw » Thu, Jan 31, 2013, 3:06 PM UTC

ZiadHilal wrote: post #5

I've been working remotely for 1 year and 3 months. The company I'm working for checks in once a week for about 20 minutes, other than that all communication is done through basecamp. I have to admit it's really hard for me and I just handed in my two weeks notice. I feel so isolated working from home and not being around other co-workers. I miss seing and interacting with other people. I'll be looking for a new job…

> Why do you guys want to work from home? Isn't the isolation during the working hours hard on you?

I think the ideal thing would be an office about a block away from where I live. I am pretty happy being back in an office myself, but hate the commute.

Re: A Short Rant About Working Remotely

#9

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Jan 31, 2013, 3:06 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: A Short Rant About Working Remotely

#10

Post by dsr_ » Thu, Jan 31, 2013, 3:07 PM UTC

It depends.

There are workflows that don't need you to be in the office. There are workflows that need you to be in the office almost every day. And there are workflows in between.

Some people can't effectively work from home. After a while, they stop doing what they're supposed to be doing. Some people have no problems with that.

Every job is different, every person is different, every company is different. No one answer will fit every situation.