What do you not like about remote work?
Interview with Pilar, director of Virtual Not Distant
I don't like that it is getting a little bit too busy online. It's that you end up looking at a screen for too long, and all the work happens in once place, which is behind the screen, whether I am talking to someone, writing or podcasting, I seem to spend my time looking at a screen which is not great for the eyes.
Hear about Pilar's flexible approach to managing Virtual Not Distant and the career-changing advice she received from a friend.
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Interview with Deborah, a remote entrepreneur changing perceptions about remote work
That the word 'remote' has too many negative associations which colour people's perceptions and judgments... and that there's a minority out there who abuse it and give the rest of us a bad reputation.
Deborah has traveled the world sharing her research about the pros of remote work. See how she is helping companies and clients understand the importance of location independence.
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Interview with Mehmet, a nomadic digital maker and entrepreneur
Less concentrated physical time together. We try to conduct company retreats but they are rare. Often we get too excited about some ideas and I find myself thinking, "oh man, only if we were together so we would pull a hackathon, or weekend trip together to just design and code for some fun project and have a good time together as a team."
Logistically, it becomes hard to bring the team together.
We’re a small team and not making tons of profits, but whenever we do a large project and have some budget, team retreats are the very very first thing we try to plan.
Mehmet has embraced his remote team leadership style. Hear about his most helpful productivity trick and why he has "quiet" days for his staff.
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Interview with Kay, an independent software consultant who found freedom in remote work
Nothing much. The only annoyances are people I have to work with, who don't like remote work. They bother me with phone calls or synchronous communication in general and find strange reasons, why I should be "in office" right now.
Often this boils down that the management is bad and don't takes time to setup some processes.
Companies that rely on water-cooler-talk to spread critical information are the worst.
Learn how Kay made the jump from full-time employee to full-time remote consultant
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Interview with Cecilia, a content writer managing her remote career in Dubai
The only thing I don't like about it is that working from home often means blurring the lines between personal time and work time. It's a lot harder to disconnect when your office is at home.
Cecilia got her start translating blog posts, and in 2018 she went fully remote. See her tips for managing an international remote work career.
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Interview with Pola, a Paris-based content writer
Sometimes you may feel isolated like it’s only you and the laptop.
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. - John Donne, scholar, and poet
A job ad in an online group led Pola to find her ideal career as a content writer—see her remote work & job seeking takeaways.
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Interview with Emma, a freelance marketing consultant
Honestly, nothing! I think more companies should do it and more employees should push for it too. I really hope the remote revolution that’s taking off now continues because it’s so much better for both mental and physical wellbeing.
Emma is thriving as a freelance marketing consultant—see her tips on managing client demands & making yourself marketable as a freelancer.
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Interview with Alyssa, a copywriter and content strategist
Communication can be tough. As much as we all like to believe we're more connected than ever, sometimes it can take a while to get the information you need. Remote workers can't just walk into someone's office and ask a question; we rely on messaging tools and email.
Alyssa has found her rhythm as a freelancer and founder of the blog, Freelancing Flow—see her tips for keeping it all running smoothly.
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Interview with John, an international business writer sharing 15 years of insights
Firstly, the absence of in-person networking in your industry except at occasional conferences.
Day-to-day networking is vital for career progression, and that is, for the most part, lost when remote.
Another challenge that many cite is the isolation that occurs when working remotely. I agree that isolation is a big challenge.
The third challenge I see is being overlooked by clients for additional work opportunities to some degree. For example, in the case of a writer who works remotely, frequently onsite writers will be selected for additional work or more senior roles within an organization.
Sometimes internal resources expand in growing organizations, and your role becomes something that is performed wholly internally and onsite, effectively eliminating it. This situation would not occur if you were onsite.
For over a decade, John has worked as an international business writer. See his insights on the state of remote work, freelancing, and attracting clients who are the right fit.
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Interview with Tammy, founder and CEO of Workplaceless
The hardest part of working remotely for me is setting clear boundaries between “work time” and everything else.
It’s way too easy to fit in work in the evening or on the weekends, even when I know some things can wait until the following workweek. However, this is not an insurmountable challenge—every week, I get better about setting boundaries.
Learn how this founder and CEO of a remote work resource and certification program handles the triumphs and trails of location independence.
Read full interview from Interview with Tammy, founder and CEO of Workplaceless.