Will I ever like remote work again after this?

claires·May 18, 2021

My cofounder and I live in Durham, NC and San Francisco, CA, respectively. Last week was the first time we'd worked in the same space since August, 2020. And honestly, it's just so different.We're building a coaching system, so we're inclined towards noticing our growth. We have put in the work with our own coach and invested time and energy into our working relationship.Being together makes that hard work evident. We're operating seamlessly, having hard conversations, making decisions... firing on all cylinders, if you will. As much as I am committed to remote work for the flexibility and quality of life it affords our current and future team, I can't help but yearn for the ✨pure magic✨ I'm feeling working in the same space as my cofounder all the time.Can anyone relate? If you're on a remote team, how often do you see your teammates? Is it for work or social purposes? I'd love to learn.

claires·May 18, 2021

Related: My cofounder wrote a post about the growth we've noticed since working together. It can be found on our company's blog: https://blog.topknot.app/blog/still-the-best-money

·May 18, 2021

Cool

RebeccaStevenson·May 18, 2021

I've started a new job during this whole thing, as have many people at my company, so we've all talked about it a lot. Everyone has a different ideal balance, but everyone has said they'd like to see one another in person *sometimes*. Some who live locally would like to be in the office once or twice or three times a week; some who live farther from HQ would be happy to come in once a month, or once a quarter; but everybody I've spoken with wants to see people at least once in a while. No one has said they want to come back in to the office full time. I'd be one of the once a week people, ideally. My job doesn't require a ton of collaboration, but it would be nice to connect more with the teams I work with.

claires·May 18, 2021

We all just want choice, so this setup sounds ideal. It's a bit harder when there's no HQ; our team is all in different places. But I can definitely see this dynamic working if we ever have a critical mass in one place.

maggiewolff·May 19, 2021

I'm not remote during normal times, however, everyone else on my team is in different offices in different cities/countries (and time zones). So even when I'm in the office, I'm doing meetings over Zoom, collaborating over shared documents, etc. And ... I don't love it. I feel very disconnected from my team, although we are still able to accomplish a lot. But I'd much rather be in person with the people I work with day-to-day. We don't have to be in the office every single day, but I'd at least like to be in person 25-50% of the time. However, I think we're still adjusting to remote work. It's only been a year, so we're still learning how to do it "right." I think it's awesome that we've been able to show that it's a valid option because I think there are a lot of folks who thrive in a remote setting or need that option in order to have a career at all, whether it's due to physical limitations, family obligations, mental health issues, etc.

claires·May 19, 2021

I share the same feelings about the inclusivity of remote work. The opportunity to make work work for people in meaningful and fulfilling ways is why I am bought in. But also feel you on the connectedness, and needing to honor that even in light of what can be accomplished. It's a balancing act, and I am hopeful that we'll get better at it.Thanks for this thoughtful input!