working remotely: the good, the bad, and the ugly

W O R K I N G R E M O T E LYS H A U N A K K A S H YA P,

D E V E L O P E R A D V O C A T E , R A C K S PA C E @ S H A U N A K

T H E G O O D , T H E B A D , A N D T H E U G LY

W O R K I N G R E M O T E LYT H E G O O D , T H E B A D , A N D T H E U G LY

W O R K I N G R E M O T E LYT H E B A D , T H E U G LY, A N D T H E G O O D

W O R K I N G R E M O T E LYT H E B A D , T H E U G LY, A N D T H E G O O D

Take theNewbie Tour

Hang out in your team’s chat room

S TA R T I N G O U T

Being a new person on a remote team can be tough

W O R K / L I F E B A L A N C E : W H AT ’ S T H AT ?

I don’t know if I work 30 hours a week or 80

““

- Anne Gentle, remote coworker

W O R K / L I F E B A L A N C E : W H AT ’ S T H AT ?

Establish Pillars and Boundaries

Occasionally work from a coffee shop

Find aco-working space

C A B I N F E V E R

Energy at office can’t be faked at home

Missing out on colleagues’ brains

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N

Sorry if that came off as { accusatory, rude, sarcastic };

I didn’t mean it that way.

“

“- at least one conversation every month

I’ve started five drafts of this response so far and discarded

them. It’s hard to carry on a conversation via email.

“

“- Glen Campbell, remote coworker

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N

Oh, didn’t you see my { email, chat, text }?

““

- at least one conversation every week

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N

T H E M E S S A G E

I N T E R A C T I O NV O C A L

VA R I E T YFA C I A L

E X P R E S S I O N SB O D Y

L A N G U A G E

I N P E R S O N Y Y Y Y Y

V I D E O Y Y Y Y ~

A U D I O Y Y Y

S Y N C H . T E X T Y Y ~

A S Y N C H . T E X T Y

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N

Sorry if that came off as { accusatory, rude, sarcastic };

I didn’t mean it that way.

“

“- at least one conversation every month

I’ve started five drafts of this response so far and discarded

them. It’s hard to carry on a conversation via email.

“

“- Glen Campbell, remote coworker

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N

Oh, didn’t you see my { email, chat, text }?

““

- at least one conversation every week

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N

Switch to higher bandwidth communication channels

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N

Try to assume positive intent

Ask clarifying questions

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N

Repeat the message multiple times using multiple

communication channels

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N

W O R K I N G R E M O T E LYT H E B A D , T H E U G LY, A N D T H E G O O D

Get togetherin person

whenever possible

Use collaborative editing tools

L E T ’ S W H I T E B O A R D T H I S P R O B L E M

Collaborative design sessions can be tough

N O S E N S E O F T E A M

I feel like I’m working alone, not as part of a team“

“

N O S E N S E O F T E A M

Setup pairing calls

Organize distributed but synchronized team activities

Short term: nip in bud

Long term: reinforce positive behavior, look for

it during interviews

F U D C A N K I L L M O R A L E

Fear, uncertainty and doubt spreads like wildfire on a distributed team

Inquire wheninterviewing

for the position

Don’t bethe lone wolf!It’s not worth it

L O N E W O L F

Being the only remote person on a team sucks.

W O R K I N G R E M O T E LYT H E B A D , T H E U G LY, A N D T H E G O O D

W O R K / L I F E B L E N D

M O R E H E A D S D O W N T I M E

• No drive-by interruptions

• Fewer unscheduled meetings

• You control the noise level

L E S S C O M M U T E , M O R E A U T O N O M Y

H E A LT H B E N E F I T S

• Morning walks/runs/workout

• Fresh, warm, home-cooked lunches

• (More) playtime with kids/pets

Y O U G E T B E T T E R AT C O M M U N I C AT I O N

• Lots of asynchronous communications - must get to the point quickly in each

• Learn to use a tl;dr + details format

B U I LT- I N Q U A R A N T I N I N G

• If you are unwell, need to stay at home… no problem!

• Team member is unwell, can’t affect rest of team

D I S T R I B U T E D T E A M = D I V E R S I T Y

W O R K F R O M A N Y W H E R E

W O R K F R O M A N Y W H E R E

W O R K F R O M A N Y W H E R E

W O R K I N G R E M O T E LYS H A U N A K K A S H YA P,

D E V E L O P E R A D V O C A T E , R A C K S PA C E @ S H A U N A K

T H E G O O D , T H E B A D , A N D T H E U G LY

S L I D E S J O I N D . I N / 1 1 4 3 7

T E S T D R I V E T H E R A C K S PA C E C L O U D ( $ 5 0 / M O F O R 1 2 M O N T H S )

R A C K . T O / P H P N Z 1 4

T H E M E S S A G E

I N T E R A C T I O NV O C A L

VA R I E T YFA C I A L

E X P R E S S I O N SB O D Y

L A N G U A G E

I N P E R S O N Y Y Y Y Y

V I D E O Y Y Y Y ~

A U D I O Y Y Y

S Y N C H . T E X T Y Y ~

A S Y N C H . T E X T Y

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N

T H E M E S S A G E

I N T E R A C T I O NV O C A L

VA R I E T YFA C I A L

E X P R E S S I O N SB O D Y

L A N G U A G E

I N P E R S O N Y Y Y Y Y

V I D E O Y Y Y Y ~

A U D I O Y Y Y

S Y N C H . T E X T Y Y ~

A S Y N C H . T E X T Y

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N

convey intent easily

T H E M E S S A G E

I N T E R A C T I O NV O C A L

VA R I E T YFA C I A L

E X P R E S S I O N SB O D Y

L A N G U A G E

I N P E R S O N Y Y Y Y Y

V I D E O Y Y Y Y ~

A U D I O Y Y Y

S Y N C H . T E X T Y Y ~

A S Y N C H . T E X T Y

C O M M U N I C AT I O N B R E A K D O W N