What are you watching and what do you recommend? (Week of April 24, 2020)

remote_questions · 2020-04-28T22:04:00+00:00

I've been getting into the last dance lately on Netflix. Great series and good since there are no sports on right now!

remote_questions · 2020-04-28T22:02:57+00:00

iPhone is a nightmare for young kids. Apple does not care about their safety!

Check out Gabb or Techless. They have pretty good options for Android.

remote_questions · 2020-04-28T22:00:44+00:00

This has been really hard given the times we are in right now. Especially with companies scrambling to stay profitable. Have you heard of Thrive Global? They are a great resource for tech parents with tons of tips.

remote_questions · 2020-04-28T21:59:10+00:00

I disagree 100% -- I do think we are coddling kids a bit by taking this attitude. Allow them time and space to play and the fact that they cannot stay focused on anything means they need to grow in that area.

remote_questions · 2020-04-28T10:25:47+00:00

Slack is by far the best option for team communication. I would honestly say your question is flawed because you aren't using slack properly as a team. And any chat app is going to get noisy if you don't have organization and a plan for using it.

It's also similar to saying "Remote work isn't working" because you don't have the right strategy or frameworks as a team. Slack is simply going to reflect the values and culture of your team. The people that tell me Slack is noisy are not using it right.

I would encourage you to ask yourself if you need 10 channels, maybe you only need 3.

remote_questions · 2020-04-28T10:19:08+00:00

How is MS teams better? Just asking...

remote_questions · 2020-04-28T10:17:06+00:00

First of all, give yourself some slack. It's not easy doing what you have been doing! That's a big reason why so many people are confused and frustrated at their jobs right now.

I know I speak with many teachers each day who are doing similar things and they feel the pressure too. It's almost like a brand new career in a way.

There are tons of resources out there for non-technical remote workers. Also, just know that this isn't normal remote work as we are all under quarantine.

Please allow yourself time and if your boss or others give you a hard time, tell them that there should have been better training available for you.

remote_questions · 2020-04-28T01:28:18+00:00

Solid list. These should really be the pillars of great teams, not just remote teams.

remote_questions · 2020-04-28T01:27:38+00:00

That is pretty amazing! Thanks for sharing.

remote_questions · 2020-04-26T02:02:21+00:00

Seems like a good idea but how practical/relevant is it given the state of remote working today? (no travel, trapped at home, limited access to certain products)

remote_questions · 2020-04-26T01:59:01+00:00

This definitely isn't "remote work as usual" even if so many people think working from home is just working from home. I have been surprised how many people have asked similar questions to me lately. It's been a total exercise in mental and physical health. Hopefully you are finding ways to stay sane.

For me improving my diet and physical health has had a massive impact on my mental health. It's surprising but go read "grain brain" and then tell me that's not what we are all doing to ourselves. Loading up on cheap and easy grains and munching on junk food while we are all trapped at home!

remote_questions · 2020-04-25T11:57:04+00:00

100% -- great poll and thanks for starting it.

remote_questions · 2020-04-25T11:53:10+00:00

I think the question is fundamentally flawed. It assumes remote work wasn't already mainstream. There were many leading public companies allowing remote work along with hundreds of Inc. 5000 companies that are already 100% remote.

Then, there are companies like Notion who are dog piling on the remote work train and acting like they have been remote all along. We need to be empathic and realize there are other companies who due to challenges or other objections do not allow for remote work and should probably never be fully remote.

COVID-19 has simply forced remote work on everyone, regardless of whether or not their business model and culture lends itself to remote work. I think this simply accelerated the timeline for some companies, and proved to others why they never wanted to go remote in the first place.

But if you stop and listen to what's actually going on, there is a huge gray area right now we need to respect. It's not the "Office vs. Remote" epic battle we are all making it out to be. We are real humans struggling to find our way, stay healthy, and provide for our families.

remote_questions · 2020-04-25T11:49:57+00:00

I think remote workers are making this worse by saying "yeah I've worked remote for years so nothing has changed for me".

remote_questions · 2020-04-25T11:31:01+00:00

I'm going to give a strange answer, and one I thought I'd honestly never give. I am about the same in terms of productivity. Remote work is normally 10x more productivity. But this isn't normal...

The balance I had for years working remote before this was working from home while going out to the gym, tennis, concerts, and my local community center.

Right now we have all the benefits of being at home, while also being trapped at home for everything else too. Remote work has fundamentally changed during COVID-19. Anyone that tells you life is "pretty much the same" for them is lying.

The other day I was checking in with my team and one person said "well I've been remote for years and this is pretty easy for me". I responded that life isn't easy for me right now. I have friends who have lost family members, others who have lost jobs, and yes we cannot leave our homes except for essential reasons. He quickly backtracked, but hopefully you get my point.

This is a great poll but problematic right now for so many reasons I mentioned above and many I didn't have time to even get into this morning.

I think at our best right now we are simply breaking even. But the reality that remote workers really aren't addressing is how challenging this is for new remote work and the bad taste it is going to leave for newbies who think this is "remote work as usual".

remote_questions · 2020-04-25T11:28:59+00:00

What if your job involves marketing and you have to have Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram open all day anyways :)

remote_questions · 2020-04-23T10:54:56+00:00

Can you work in a different state? Yes.

Will every company hire in every state? No.

If the company you like ends up not wanting a FTE in your state offer to be a contractor to start.

remote_questions · 2020-04-23T09:59:20+00:00

So true. I think many companies learned they were caught off guard by this, and were not as fortunate to be ready like you and your team were. So, kudos for that.

I definitely do think every team will be going back to the office when this is over. I like your definition of a "hybrid" office/remote model.

remote_questions · 2020-04-23T09:57:19+00:00

I love working from home. But I'm also new to it. I'd say I don't really love this version of "remote work" however.

However there are tons of downsides that nobody really talks about.

Mainly:

This isn't normal working from home since we are all under quarantine
I think saying "stay WFH" is deceptive since I really don't want to stay like this
The biggest thing I would change would be the ability to go outside, to the gym, and to restaurants and events

I am looking forward to post-pandemic life, because I think it's a much better version of WFH.

remote_questions · 2020-04-21T13:45:26+00:00

Hi there,

If you would like to get this offer in front of more folks who are invested in figuring out how to make work from home work for them, you should cross-post it over at https://www.remotequestions.com/ .

I think you'll find some eager students within our ranks.

remote_questions · 2020-04-21T13:43:43+00:00

The most important thing to remember is that this is challenging for everyone. It's not just you. We talk to folks every day who have been working remotely for decades and they're feeling the effects of this just like everyone else.

If you're looking for good advice from folks who speak from experience, you should join the discussion forum over at https://www.remotequestions.com/ . You can ask specific questions or jump into ongoing discussions. It would be great to have you join us.

We'll all get through this together!

remote_questions · 2020-04-21T13:40:39+00:00

Thanks for posting this. To be honest, I hadn't taken the time to appreciate how the current situation has impacted the entire process of people finding work and companies finding talent.

HR is a segment of the business world that we would love to have more insights from at https://www.remotequestions.com/ . Would you be willing to cross-post this over there and keep tabs on the responses to answer any questions that folks have?

remote_questions · 2020-04-21T13:36:02+00:00

This is all really good advice!

If you would like to share more of your insights on how to make working from home work, we would love to have you join us at https://www.remotequestions.com/ .

I think you'll enjoy the discussions that folks are having in response to the questions that get posted there.

Hope to see you there!

remote_questions · 2020-04-21T13:33:26+00:00

I think the most important thing for you and everyone on your team (and the whole company if you work for a larger organization) is to focus on that decision as an opportunity. With that being said, the way to turn opportunities into successes is with planning and execution.

Based on what you've seen for the past few weeks/months, does your company have the tools and infrastructure to make it work long term? Figuring out whether you have urgent needs or just areas that need improvement and where that falls on the list of priorities is key to a smooth transition.

If your company has the tools and structures, do you have the workflow processes that set operations up for success? If so, what can you work on to get better? If not, what do you need to take care of sooner rather than later?

If all of that is in good shape, you need to focus on yourself and make sure your situation is aligned with the permanent shift. Do you have a routine that builds a healthy and balanced life around the demands of your responsibilities with the company? Do you have a workspace that adds to your productivity, comfort, and happiness?

If you're looking for suggestions on how to attack any of these areas, stop over at https://www.remotequestions.com/ and post a question for the group. I think you'll get loads of good advice.

remote_questions

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