Working from Home and Startups

With the continued chatter about Yahoo’s policy change last year where employees are no longer allowed to work from home, and HP following suit, I’ve had a few entrepreneurs reach out over the past few months asking about work from home strategies. Before talking about working from home, the discussion needs to focus on the company’s core values and how it operates. Personally, I’m interested in a culture of people who are positive, self-starting, and supportive with a results only work environment (ROWE) structure.

Here are a few considerations regarding working from home and startups:

• More working from home requires more communication and planning, so allocate time accordingly
• Working from home doesn’t imply a ROWE structure, but a good way to move towards ROWE is to allow more telecommuting
• Crystal clear expectations for employees, including results, makes it easier to assess if the employee is meeting his or her expectations, regardless of working in the office or at home
• Tools like Google Hangouts are so good now that people working remotely can participate in meetings with a great deal of effectiveness
• Physical, face-to-face interactions and rapport-building is still important, so people that work remotely or from home all the time should plan for getting together at least once a quarter

More recently, discussions have emerged about holocracy and startups with 100% remote employees and no managers. My takeaway is that having a culture that encourages people to do their best work wherever they are requires a strong alignment of core values and often starts with the hiring process. Working from home works for many companies, especially ones with a strong culture and clear expectations for their team members.

What else? What are some more thoughts on working from home and startups?