To work remotely, we need to defy distance. Most of us are used to the intimacy of physical space in work. Working side-by-side or knee-to-knee with colleagues is a powerful experience. Sometimes, we yearn for the feeling of closeness and collaboration that, until we rethink how we work, is going to feel strange at best and threatening or scary at worst.
And yet – there is no way we could do any of what we do, if it were not for the technologies that connect us.
Furthermore, these technologies empower us to do more, better, faster, than we could in a physical office.
Still, rethinking how we work and then acting on it is a difficult, uncertain process at times.
This section is intended to capture the team’s experience in defying distance to build meaningful collaboration and deliver results… but also to weave friendship and learning to care and value each other’s contribution.
There is also the lack of structure. The physical structure of an office encourages people to at least look busy and productive. In the comfort of your own home, the distinction between ‘work’ and the rest of your life is blurred. Discipline is required
First: Do not underestimate the challenges of learning to work remotely.
However, you may want to question the assumption that joining a remote team will be the first time you work remotely.
Have you used telephone conferences in any form to meet with others? Email? Work environments that are purely physical are increasingly rare.
Once people get used to remoteness, they stop thinking about it. It becomes part of the fabric of how we work.