Re:Guide to Remote Work
by codingdave on Wednesday November 02, 2016 @09:32AM
(#12854456)
I have 3. When I first started working from home, we set some ground rules, which mostly amount to "Be quiet in here." and "I might boot you out of my office, just say OK and go.", and "If my headset is on, and I am talking, do not interrupt."
It actually has been great. Taking a break to talk to a child is refreshing. Being able to be a parent more than just after dinner is good for everyone involved. And they get to see what I do.
It helps if your entire company is remote - then everyone understands the balancing that happens between family and work.At my company, it is common to step away from your desk to go to a child's activity, help them with something, or just go play with your kids. And when babies cry or toddlers interrupt conference calls, people just laugh. We all understand what it is like to work remotely, and our leadership care about the work getting done, not the schedule you keep.
I will admit that it would be harder to work for the kind of place where remote worker are still expected to sit in their desks from 9-5, lurking on some always-on hangout/slack/whatever. If kids are involved, I would skip that kind of team and look for people who value full flexibility in remote work, not just in location.
It actually has been great. Taking a break to talk to a child is refreshing. Being able to be a parent more than just after dinner is good for everyone involved. And they get to see what I do.
It helps if your entire company is remote - then everyone understands the balancing that happens between family and work.At my company, it is common to step away from your desk to go to a child's activity, help them with something, or just go play with your kids. And when babies cry or toddlers interrupt conference calls, people just laugh. We all understand what it is like to work remotely, and our leadership care about the work getting done, not the schedule you keep.
I will admit that it would be harder to work for the kind of place where remote worker are still expected to sit in their desks from 9-5, lurking on some always-on hangout/slack/whatever. If kids are involved, I would skip that kind of team and look for people who value full flexibility in remote work, not just in location.