What do you not like about remote work?

Interview with Artur, an engineer who found purpose as an Intrapreneur

Loneliness has to be at the top of the list. As I mentioned earlier, my fiancee also works remotely in the same company. That, of course, has a whole suite of advantages, benefits, and dreadful pitfalls.

I am not alone, but we find ourselves in a bit of social vacuum. People over thirty generally have more trouble making friends than before.

Most of my friends are in the office. So, I have to make a deliberate effort to see another human being besides my fiancee (but she is a deity, so she does not count). This is one of the reasons we rent a coworking space.

The other thing is that flexibility has its price. When you take a break from work to do the laundry, the other errands start to pour in. So, strict work and life separation have its benefits. For example, after a stressful day, the commute back home is a nice bookend, and a chance to reflect and relax.

Working from home means that you bring your stress, annoyance, and irritation straight into your living room and to your family.

Artur realized entrepreneurship wasn't for him—see how he carves out his creativity and purpose as a remote Intrapreneur at Automattic.

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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.

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Interview with Nathan and Connor, owners of Freeeup

I think anyone that works remote will say this...sometimes it gets lonely. There are days that we wish we lived closer so that we could get together, brainstorm, and spend the day working together. It’s a different dynamic when together in person rather than on a phone or video call.

Thinking of creating your own remote startup? See how Nathan and Connor built a successful and effective remote team from scratch.

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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.

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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 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

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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.

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Interview with Molood, a CEO who shares how minimalism has improved her remote work experience

I love remote working. There’s nothing about it I dislike except for the misconception that many people have about remote work. For example, I don’t like that many individuals and organizations believe they can work remotely well without ever learning it or getting help to make it work in their businesses.

I don’t like that some believe remote working equals days filled with online meetings when in reality, good remote work means as few meetings as possible.

(I meet my team at Remote Forever online once every few months, sometimes even less often).

I have not experienced loneliness or disconnectedness, as many other remote workers report. When we work with individuals in Remote Forever as part of our 1-1 coaching or group coaching programs, how to stay connected and avoid loneliness is one of the most common topics that is addressed. We have specific methods and recommendations to help individuals with such topics.

As CEO and Founder of Remote Forever, Molood has made a career in teaching individuals and companies how to work remotely effectively. See how embracing a minimalist lifestyle has caused her to excel.

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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 Henry, a consultant who found remote work by saying No

It's harder to divide work from home. If, in the middle of a workday, there is something better to do in my life... I can take a break. If I want to work at night, my computer and everything I need to work is just a few steps away.

When I'm not focused on it, the easy access to work can sometimes negatively impact my life, and the easy access to my life negatively impact my work.

I try hard to block off times to start and end work.

Sometimes a "no" can lead to an exceptional opportunity. For Henry, that answer led to an ideal remote work career. In this interview, Henry shares his remote work tool stack, and essential tip for remote employees and managers.

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