What do you not like about remote work?
Interview with Chloe, a customer support freelancer and multi-project expert
Getting immediate responses can sometimes cause delays which in turn leads to frustrated customers, but overall, I have no complaints.
Chloe uses the flexibility of freelancing to her advantage—see how she successfully manages multiple projects at one time.
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Interview with Andrew, a freelance writer who works remotely
The discipline required to work remotely is far more taxing than the discipline to work at an actual location.
Without having anyone breathing over your neck, there’s considerably less anxiety, but there’s also more temptation to slack off.
If you aren’t rigorous and disciplined with yourself, you could potentially end up wasting precious time or even days, putting you behind. While a regular job has guaranteed income, all you have to do is show up, remote work comes with a heavy burden, if you don’t finish your contracts, you don’t get paid. Sometimes that can get to me.
And then of course, probably the thing I like the least is the lack of socialization. Working in an office has a lot of negatives to it, but the thing I miss the most was having people that you could work with and talk to on a daily basis. Working remote is a lonely life. But like all tradeoffs, the question comes down to does the pros outweigh the cons? And in the case of freelance work, the cons are absolutely worth it.
Andrew became a full-time freelance writer after experimenting with freelance marketplaces. After the first month, he was already earning more than his full-time job.
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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 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
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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.
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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 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 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 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.
Read full interview from Interview with Pola, a Paris-based content writer.