Volume XXI, Number 33 (Issue 1037) August 14, 2023
Not Everyone Agrees. That Is Awesome!
When Part 1 of Eight Questions, Chapter Four (Managing and Motivating Remote Workers) dropped last week, not every reader agreed with my assertions. That is awesome as far as I am concerned. That is because there is no “one size fits all” solution to most problems, even though Binary Bias does its best to make us think that is the case.
So, as one long-time reader and friend pointed out, there is more than one way to achieve good results. Thus, before we launch into Part 2, I feel it necessary to share (with the author’s permission) what his organization is doing and thinking when it comes to remote work.
As for remote work, my current company would disprove many of your points on remote work. Toptal has been around for 15 years and has no bricks and mortar. We are 100% remote, and it is as attractive for the employer as the employee.
We are a Slack/Zoom company consulting with employees globally. As a leader, metrics tell me if the employee is “stealing hours.” I run a sales team so you could argue it is easier for me, but whether marketing or engineering it is not hard to know who is working and who is not.
As for culture, from virtual happy hours to game nights we pull employees together. We have a Slack channel for about everything you can imagine from pet lovers to wine lovers to Wordle daily lovers, LGQT, women etc. Each state also has a channel.
I could go on but want to offer an alternative lens.
Oh, and as for our business, we sell access to a network of talent that is all remote and global. We vet them and reject 97% of applicants. Toptal is a haven for employees that want to be remote for work. Covid changed nothing for us except a spike in Silicon Valley folk wanting into our network so they could move to the Caribbean or Montana and live and work where they want.
Oh, and the folks in the network are free lancers who set their own rates.
So, when I read today, I wanted to offer a few thoughts on living and working in this remote company, which I love btw and in 3.5 years I have had no unwanted attrition!
Thanks Bruce. I appreciate your thoughts and perspective. I also appreciate the other readers who took time last week and every week to share their views. We must always be ready to learn since that is what fuels innovation.
But there is one more vote for returning to the office – at least part time. You see, it turns out even Zoom, the organization that grew exponentially thanks to the remote work model that developed in response to the COVID Pandemic, is now wanting their people to spend time in the office too. In what might be the irony of ironies, Zoom announced last week that every employee who lives within fifty miles of a Zoom facility is expected to spend at least two days per week in the office.
Go figure!
Soli Deo Gloria
“Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.” Proverbs 18:2
J. Keith Hughey
Mobile: (210)260-0955
E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
Web site: www.jkeithhughey.com
Transforming Potential into Unmatched Performance
Copyright 2023 by J. Keith Hughey. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for reproduction and redistribution of this essay as provided under the copyright laws of the United States of America. The entire early library of Monday Morning Musings issues may be found at www.jkeithhughey.com. Your comments are welcome and encouraged.