What do you not like about remote work?

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 Harry, an IT Architect who works from home

It's difficult when your home is also your office, so I've always struggled with drawing the line between work time and home time.

I feel as though I've improved over the years, although the challenge increases if I'm approaching a deadline on a project.

Harry has worked remotely for almost 10 years as a senior mobile, web and desktop developer—learn how he balances work with family.

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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 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 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.

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Interview with Gregory, a Senior Software Developer

If the company really values remote work, there isn't a ton I don't like.

It makes communication harder. This is something that every remote worker I know needs to continuously put in effort for.

The biggest thing missing is the ability to "overhear" things. If you are in an office with others, you might overhear that Bob is having trouble with that same component that you had trouble with last week, you might be able to offer him some pointers, or that Sarah is brainstorming a bit with Michael on ways to design this element, and you would like to be a part of that conversation so you can go over and ask. But when working remotely, you don't get that.

Conversations naturally tend to happen only with the people that they were meant to: Bob asked his boss about that issue, Sara and Michael had a call to discuss the design, and you never heard anything about any of it.

A policy of having conversations in a "public" space (like a Slack channel, GitHub issues, or some other kind of company "forum") can go a very long way toward solving a lot of this trouble, in my opinion.

Companies that don't understand the amount of work, and how much they need to really try to create a good remote work environment, are a really big downside. I don't really believe that it can work well unless a significant portion of the company works remote, or unless there are some very core very early employees that work remote.

Also, getting the job in the first place can be very difficult. You aren't competing against those in your area, you aren't even competing against those who are willing to relocate to that area, you are competing against the entire country, and in some cases the whole world.

Getting a job is a lot harder when statistically there is probably someone else out there looking for a job that will do it for less than you, and might even do a better job than you.

Add to that the fact that remote-work is still uncommon, and you now have a much larger pool of talented developers competing for a much smaller group of potential companies.

I don't really have any advice here, but it is a problem that I have encountered in the past, and it is a big downside to trying to work remotely.

Gregory is a senior software developer working from home - learn how he finds the balance between lack of focus and hyperfocus.

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Interview with Liz, a UI/UX designer and cowork advocate

My chief complaint is that it is isolating. Some may prefer the quietude or the lack of coworker chatter, but I felt the absence of the bustle of other people the most when I moved to a new city.

Professional contacts are also important for transitioning job roles and making strides in your career. The reason I started Ladies Work Remote was to create that professional network that you don’t get when you work from your house.

Liz is a traveling UI/UX designer—see her strategy for thriving as a digital nomad and her efforts to promote coworking.

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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 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.

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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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