One area I’m really interested in right now is the trend away from traditional office structures for companies. All employees sitting in the same building for 40+ hours per week has felt antiquated for years. Now, with the pandemic, many of us have been forced to work from anywhere for 6+ months, and most people never want to go back to the previous office usage patterns. Of course, purely remote work isn’t the answer for everyone, and there are a number of good reasons to work in an office. Remote-first/work from anywhere has been getting the most attention lately, so let’s dive in there.
The best post I’ve found is Remote-first at Brex. Here are a few notes from the piece:
- Principle #1: Clone the internet, not the office
- Use internet best practices, not traditional office best practices, for distributed work
- Principle #2: Async decisions by default
- Written word becomes the most powerful tool, not meetings and people’s in-person personalities
- Principle #3: Intentional relationships
- Cultivate relationships more thoughtfully
- Frequent company and team in-person meetings, at least once every two months
- Principle #4: Physical-mental balance
- Every person needs four things: an uninterrupted work space, connection to tribe, connection to nature, and physical activity
- Office hubs in major cities for people that want to go into an office
- Principle #5: Iteration
- Everyone is learning and experimenting, expect remote-first work styles to evolve
Remote-first is a fascinating trend that is only growing in importance. Look for the trend to influence all types of companies, and many new best practices to emerge. I’m excited to see what the future holds.
David Cummings on Startups 