What do you not like about remote work?
Interview with Stefan, a founder building a location-independent startup
There is no one to bounce ideas off of when you’re working alone. This can be mitigated by joining a coworking space or working in pods (a few remote workers working together, whether on the same thing if they’re all employees of the same company or everyone working on their own thing).
Stefan now has total control over his time since leaving the traditional office in early 2019. Hear how his routine is helping him build a solid remote startup.
Read full interview from Interview with Stefan, a founder building a location-independent startup .
Interview with Ascencia, a content marketer, and avid gig economy professional
I really love remote work, and I’m grateful for the chance to experience it all. But if you asked me what I don’t like about it, these are some things I had in mind:
I work mostly at home with my family (my mom, dad, and sister). My parents work mostly from home too, and we eat out a lot, or just randomly decide to watch a movie on weekdays. So that’s one thing I have to balance with my work constantly.
As much as I do not like office drama, I miss the camaraderie from working with colleagues on-site. You can’t replace that with conference calls and icebreaker questions.
A forgotten two-year-old Upwork account allowed Ascencia to become a content marketer—see how the gig economy has offered her an alternative path to success.
Read full interview from Interview with Ascencia, a content marketer, and avid gig economy professional.
Interview with Chanell, a freelance writer and social media manager
One of the issues I have with remote work is more so unique to freelance work. As a freelancer, it can be difficult to understand the state and tax laws: paying quarterly, estimated vs. actual earnings, and paying online.
This situation has been a bit of a challenge I have had to get used to and learn a lot about.
The other issue is the isolation. I am an introvert by nature, so working alone is not a problem for me. However, there are times where it would be nice to work with someone who is in a similar situation. I have made a practice of having co-working days with old college friends and attending lunches with professional contacts to combat these feelings.
Chanell is a freelance writer working from Atlanta that writes about business management tips and video game entertainment threads.
Read full interview from Interview with Chanell, a freelance writer and social media manager.
Interview with Erin, a virtual assistant with a successful approach to freelancing
It's hard to build a friendly rapport with people that you've never met in person!
Clients don't get know the little quirks that make you unique when you're fully remote.
While I do hop on Zoom chats with clients when I can, speaking to someone over video isn't quite the same as grabbing a coffee in person or bumping into one another in the office. You must work harder to remind clients that there's a human behind the screen!
Erin has found freelancing success as a virtual assistant—see her organizational tips & insights into how she picks clients that suit her business.
Read full interview from Interview with Erin, a virtual assistant with a successful approach to freelancing.
Interview with Maggie, a senior product manager at HubSpot
When I worked fully remote, in my previous role, I found it difficult to see how my career could advance where I wanted it to go. Now that I go to the office two days per week, I feel that I have a better balance.
Remote work allows Maggie to live in a small town and excel in her career. Hear about how she stays professionally connected, and her essential career advice for remote workers.
Read full interview from Interview with Maggie, a senior product manager at HubSpot.
Interview with Ben, a web developer who freelances from home
Not getting to meet my clients face to face often or at all, especially when I've built up a good working relationship with them, or even made friends.
The perception from many companies that remote workers are lazy, or that you have to be in an office to work this job, or to be effective.
Strong communication is so important to being effective, but also, you don't have to have eyes on me to know I'm working.
Interruptions from family and friends. This is hard one sometimes, because some people don't listen to this, and try to interrupt you because "you're home, so you're not doing anything important."
Learn the tips and tricks Ben uses to stay productive while working remotely on a hybrid team
Read full interview from Interview with Ben, a web developer who freelances from home.
Interview with Jake, a customer success manager for Atlassian
I definitely miss the "water cooler" talk, team lunches, and sometimes I miss the buzz of working in a big city.
Jake was burned out on the San Francisco lifestyle—see how he transitioned from working in-office to working remotely for a remote-friendly company.
Read full interview from Interview with Jake, a customer success manager for Atlassian.
Interview with Jenna, a freelance writer who works remotely to help manage her health
I guess it can be a bit lonely at times, since interacting with coworkers face-to-face is no longer a huge part of my day.
I lean towards that being more of a good thing than a bad thing, though, because I’m so introverted, and I can always see friends when I need to.
Also, working remotely forces me to be self-motivating and hold myself accountable, and that can be a challenge at times, especially when dealing with depression.
As a freelancer in particular, I have to get used to putting myself out there, and dealing with a lot of rejection, which can be really emotionally difficult.
I knew that going in though, so I prepared myself, but there are certain days where it still gets me down.
Jenna started working remotely after realizing her office job was causing health problems—now she works as a freelance writer and writes about self-improvement
Read full interview from Interview with Jenna, a freelance writer who works remotely to help manage her health.
Interview with Lily, an entrepreneur building VR conferencing for remote teams
The thing about remote work that I think worries most people is the lack of human interaction. To make up for that, I make sure to plan lunch dates with friends and have activities outside of work.
Plus many remote jobs require some amount of travel which gets you out of the house and have in-person time with your co-workers.
Lily has almost a decade of remote work experience, now she's building the team collaboration tool of the future with Virtual Reality
Read full interview from Interview with Lily, an entrepreneur building VR conferencing for remote teams.
Interview with Laurel about helping companies transition to remote work
That so many workers are using location flexibility as an excuse to avoid work.
I have reviewed thousands of job applications in which the candidate says they want a virtual role just because they crave the freedom to travel, want the flexibility of working less hours, or feel the entitlement of not having to report to a boss. It is these attitudes that create the perception that remote workers are lazy and untrustworthy - because the perks of the job are being valued more than the job itself.
Too many people fail to remember that remote work is still work.
No one can build a business or a career without grit.
The remote workers that prove the stigma wrong are those that capitalize on location independence to fuel productivity, spark creativity, and maintain better work-life balance (which, in turn, enhances their job performance).
Flexibility and independence aren't the substitute for hard work, they are the reward for it.
Laurel is an advocate for remote work and helps companies learn how to work remotely through her consulting and writing.
Read full interview from Interview with Laurel about helping companies transition to remote work.