Remote Work Does Not Work. And is Not Fun.

A couple of months ago, Jensen Harris wrote a twitter thread about how remote work is not the same as distributed work. Jensen makes the case that distributed work is more inclusive than remote work. It creates a more equitable and fair working environment. To summarize the terminology:

• Distributed Companies are truly decentralized and have no central office location.
• Remote companies have an HQ or multiple office locations where most employees come to work and some are remote.

Let’s briefly touch upon distributed companies, as I see this post as an extension, talking about companies with central offices that provide an option for employees to be permanently remote. I would generally prefer being in-person over distributed companies in the early stages of one’s career. . The pace of learning via osmosis, that is being physically around your peers is unparalleled. Thanks to COVID, you should now know whether a distributed work environment is suitable for you. If distributed is your jam, more power to you. It definitely is the best option, much better than remote work especially when you are not in a ‘tech/startup’ hub.

With that out of the way, let’s talk about companies that provide options to be permanently remote and those that don’t. At Quizizz, we have chosen not to offer permanently remote opportunities. This note has stemmed from my experience being at the office over the last six months and seeing some candidates decline us for remote opportunities despite being in a position to be physically present at the office. As a disclaimer, I have been in physical offices for more than a decade and like everyone else, I worked remotely for the better part of 2020 and 2021.

Why do companies have remote working options?

Remote working is undoubtedly great for the development of cities beyond the usual hubs (Bay Area, Bangalore, Delhi, etc.). It creates opportunities, accessibility and raises the standards of living that people aspire to afford, that didn’t exist before.

Remote working provides companies access to talent that was not available before. So yes, it makes a lot of sense for companies to provide remote options to increase access to the previously untouched talent pool.

Remote working companies save on operational costs.

I’ve listed a few reasons, the goal is not to be exhaustive.

Are remote employees on the same pedestal as their in-person peers?

It is a clear No.

A simple example: I’ve had multiple situations with A/V issues, infrastructure challenges, poor network situations, etc., that have taken people out of a conversation. In many cases, we didn’t even realize it and kept going. Sad, but true.

Furthermore, when there is a critical project, your leaders are more likely to give it to someone they see and interact with, on a daily and just walk over to their desks to understand progress. That’s just human nature and non-intentional. These projects create opportunities for employees to propel their careers forward. Matching the experiences and opportunities available for people available physically at the office is not possible.

Can a company create a fair and equitable remote working culture?

It requires a very different DNA to be successful in a remote or distributed work setting — heavy reliance on asynchronous communications, writing culture, and conscious effort to bring people together. All of this takes a lot of effort. The best shot is when companies are genuinely intentional about building this DNA right from the inception (eg: hashicorp, zapier). It takes effort to pivot or make changes to a company’s DNA, especially after multiple significant milestones are achieved over the years. When founders truly care about being asynchronous, they consciously create a distributed work environment from the beginning. So yes, it is possible to create a fair and equitable culture in a distributed work environment, not in a remote work environment.

Why do employees choose to work remote?

More often than not, I’ve heard people decide to work remotely to save money. Yes, it is more expensive than living at your parent’s house. However, the learnings that happen when you are around your peers, overhearing hallway conversations, debating ideas at lunch/coffee, and injecting yourself into discussions are unparalleled. In the absence of immediate financial constraints (you are the best judge here), the additional money/ inconvenience is a small price to pay for the long-term learning and growth.

My Experience in 2022

I’ve been going to our physical office for the last five months and was pleasantly surprised at how much more fun it has been. I had forgotten all that I was missing, at least subconsciously —

• I’m not as exhausted as I used to be. I’m getting more work done and have energy for my family and friends. My mental health is in a better place.
• I have much more free time — I don’t need to block time for every little thing. I can just walk over to people’s desks and have a quick conversation. This would have been a 30-minute meeting on our calendars and if one of us had a conflict, it would have been postponed to another time or worse yet forgotten. All entirely unintentional.
• People are taking more ownership. They walk to each other’s desks to discuss, collaborate, and make progress.
• Serendipity is happening.
• We are shipping faster. There is less back and forth between engineers, designers, and product managers.
• My team has a better sense of camaraderie with each other. We eat lunch together, walk to get coffee, talk about what we do on the weekends, and organize activities to hang out outside work (football, badminton, treks, board games, etc.).

While I was writing this piece, my daughter asked me what am I writing about. I said — “I’m writing about how it is more fun to work from the office rather than home.” She responds — “Just like it is more fun to go to school than be online?” I found myself nodding vehemently because she got it too!. :-)

Thanks to Haripriya for the valuable edits!