What do you not like about remote work?
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.
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Interview with Cameron, a designer who works remotely at a WordPress agency
The only downside is that I sometimes miss the person to person interactions of working in an office space.
To make sure I don't turn into a hermit, I make sure to schedule time with friends at least once per week to hang out or play sports.
Learn how Cameron started full-time remote work after trying freelancing and starting a digital agency.
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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
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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
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Interview with Alexandra Cote, a remote digital marketer and freelancer
I love it! As mentioned, though, it's not for everyone. So if you're working with someone who's not a fit for this culture, communication can get tough. And annoying. Especially if you're a hard worker who hates seeing that people are not doing anything and the company's not moving forward.
I was once part of a small project and had to be part of a team for a week. The team was supposed to be online for three hours each day. Obviously, since the team was fully-distributed, they weren't working to their full potential, and instead, they put in less than even those three hours of actual work.
I honestly felt like the only one who was working. Safe to say the company wasn't going anywhere, and they're still struggling.
Alexandra juggles freelancing, a full-time remote job, YouTube, and Skillshare instructing. How does she manage it all? Find out in her interview.
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Interview with Dani and Luca, digital nomads who have mastered work and travel
Working remotely is awesome; believe us. We are lucky, though, because we are traveling as a couple. We have friends who are enjoying their remote life but are also feeling loneliness from time to time.
The good side of working from an office is that you can enjoy the company of the people you work with and you can make jokes and spend quality time with them.
A remote worker may have Slack, but it is clearly not the same thing.
While traveling, you get to know a lot of people, but they last only a few days.
Dani and Luca have mastered the art of traveling while working—see their hacks & tips for thriving as digital nomads.
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Interview with Kristi, a CEO and remote team leader
It can occasionally feel lonely and a bit disconnected.
When I think back to days working in offices with some very funny and likable past coworkers, I sometimes wonder if I'm missing out on that day-to-day camaraderie.
But video chats, virtual networking events, and even being active on Twitter all help to alleviate that somewhat.
Kristi is a CEO, remote work author, and speaker. In this interview, she shares the impact of new motherhood and remote team leadership on her work.
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Interview with Andrew, co-founder and CEO of Insured Nomads
It is not being able to be in person at times when it’s needed most.
Emotionally, it takes intentionality to keep a relationship strong when on the road or away from team members.
Andrew, co-founder, and CEO of Insured Nomads talks traveling while working, productivity tools, and the best advice he has received.
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Interview with Gino, a founder skilled in building remote teams
I have to be honest and say that there are times when being face-to-face with someone on our team is much more productive. For personal reasons, outside of work, I’m working on developing a game with a few people. This is where I’ve noticed face-to-face really goes a long way.
For my work at TECLA, I don’t think there’s ever a moment where I’ve said, “I wish I were face-to-face with this person. It’d be so much easier to get this done.” However, in terms of the game, I’m working on, I do have to say it has been a factor. Still, nothing outweighs the benefits of working remotely within our team.
Gino realized how important remote work could be to finding the best talent—see his strategies for building remote teams.
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Interview with Ayush, a CEO and avid remote team builder
I believe that people looking to do remote work should not consider it as an alibi for lesser or less productive work.
Sometimes I have found individuals who take up remote work opportunities so that they can do other household chores at the same time. That's not how they should treat it.
Ayush is a CEO that is committed to helping companies build successful remote teams—see his process and tips for developing location independent teams that thrive.
Read full interview from Interview with Ayush, a CEO and avid remote team builder.