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.
Read full interview from Interview with Pilar, director of Virtual Not Distant .
Interview with Taylor, a marketing director and intentional digital nomad
It can be isolating and lonely if I'm not intentional about building my community.
In-person community takes a lot more effort than it used to because it doesn't just happen naturally.
I do not default into a community because I have to build and nurture my own. That actually makes for a more meaningful community, but it takes a lot of work. It can be exhausting.
Taylor shares how co-working spaces, digital nomadism, and work flexibility gave her the work environment she always wanted.
Read full interview from Interview with Taylor, a marketing director and intentional digital nomad.
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.
Read full interview from Interview with Deborah, a remote entrepreneur changing perceptions about remote work.
Interview with Steven Wade, a software engineer working on a remote team
"With great power comes great responsibility".
With the flexibility and freedom offered by remote work, that also means that you're accountable for that time. It can be easy to let it slip - start work a little later each day until now you're an hour or two late and have to make up the time. That's why I stick to my 8-5 schedule with some flexibility built in.
Learn more about how Steven works remotely, including his work routine, habits and how he found his remote job
Read full interview from Interview with Steven Wade, a software engineer working on a remote team.
Interview with Leon, a journalist teaching the world to play chess
I'm really struggling to find reasons not to like working remotely.
Chit-chat around the office can be fun, making good workmates (I have plenty from previous jobs) and the feeling of being in the centre of the action are some of the things I miss.
Working remotely is not normally a social activity. You can make it so, but that requires effort. In comparison, when you sit in an office, you absorb so much more information from the people around you without even realizing it.
For example, despite never being involved in these conversations I always used to know what all the good new restaurants were in London because people would talk about them. I no longer have access to this information in the same way, but that's not something that particularly bothers me!
Leon James Watson is a former journalist who has found the intrinsic value of remote work while teaching the masses to play chess.
Read full interview from Interview with Leon, a journalist teaching the world to play chess.
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.
Read full interview from Interview with Mehmet, a nomadic digital maker and entrepreneur .
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.
Read full interview from Interview with Emma, a freelance marketing consultant.
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.
Read full interview from Interview with Cecilia, a content writer managing her remote career in Dubai.
Interview with Tara, a remote director of research and administration
Sometimes it can feel isolating. We live in a beautiful rural cottage community on the shores of Lake Huron, and during the winter it’s very quiet here.
I need to make an effort to see people then, and as an introvert, sometimes it’s difficult.
A move to be closer to a spouse's job led Tara to remote work—see her tips for staying productive and organized as a full-time remote director.
Read full interview from Interview with Tara, a remote director of research and administration.
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.
Read full interview from Interview with John, an international business writer sharing 15 years of insights.