Remote Work FAQ

Remote Essentials

1. What does remote working mean?

Remote working means that an employee works mostly from home or a chosen location that is not the company’s office. In this situation, the employee communicates with the company utilizing email or telephone.

2. What are remote employees?

Remote employees work mostly from home or a chosen location that is not the company’s office. In this situation, the employee communicates with the company by email or telephone.

3. Does remote mean work from home?

Remote work can mean working from home but is not limited to that. Primarily remote means anywhere else than the office.

4. Does telecommute mean work from home?

Telecommute can mean working from home but is not limited to it. Essentially it means working from anywhere else than the office.

5. What is a telecommuting position?

A telecommuting position is one where rather than traditional commuting, you are “commuting” by means of email or telephone. Telecommuting jobs are mostly done from home offices or another remote location, but they may be part-time telecommuting, meaning that the company requires occasional meetings in the office.

6. What is a remote position?

A remote position is one that is done outside of the office in a chosen location. This could mean either work done from home, cafe, co-working space, etc. or job done on while traveling in the case of a position that requires it.

7. What does “flexible working” days mean?

Flexible working is any change in working pattern from the employees regular working hours or days. It can include, amongst other things, part-time work, reduced hours, later or earlier start or finish times, compressed hours or annualized hours.

8. What are the benefits of remote work?

Remote work allows an employee greater freedom regarding his or her work hours and works location. It gives the worker more flexibility to balance work and personal undertakings. Often, working remotely makes employees more productive due to the lack of distractions in regular office space. There are also many benefits of remote employment to the companies allowing it — the increased productivity of employees. Telecommuters are also likely to be happier in their jobs and are, therefore, which positively influences the employee turnover. Remote employment can also save companies money in office expenses.

9. What are the pros and cons of remote work?

The pros of remote work include greater freedom regarding employees’ work hours and work location. It gives the worker more flexibility to balance work and personal undertakings. Often, working remotely makes employees more productive due to the lack of distractions in regular office space. The cons of remote work include the feeling of loneliness or isolation, which you can feel every time your team members are enjoying team building activities or lunch together at the office. Some also find communication harder in the remote work environment as it requires multiple communication tools and explicit language.

10. What are digital nomads?

Digital nomads work using telecommunications technologies to earn a living and conduct their life in a nomadic manner. Such workers often work remotely from foreign countries, coffee shops, or co-working spaces. They usually travel from one location to another regularly.

11. How does one become a digital nomad?

The first step to becoming a digital nomad is finding a job that lets you combine work with traveling or convincing your current boss to let you do so. Once you get a remote job, you can begin your nomadic lifestyle. Choose locations based on fast, reliable internet, excellent infrastructure and networking possibilities, such as co-working spaces. Destinations with cheap accommodation, food, and general living expenses include Bali, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and the Czech Republic. When you develop the right balance between work and play, being a digital nomad brings the freedom of working where and when you like.

12. Do remote workers consider themselves to be in the same group as digital nomads?

Although every digital nomad is a remote worker, not everyone, who works remotely live a nomadic lifestyle. A digital nomad job is remote, and you’re able to travel the world while you do it. These jobs usually do not require you to be online at some specific time and work particular hours. Working remotely, however, does not necessarily mean that an employee is open to travel. There might be remote jobs that require you to stay in a specific timezone. Most of the time, you have to work in the same time zone as everyone in the office.

13. What is a coworking space?

Coworking space is a type of workplace where workers share the same environment and build a community. Unlike the corporate office, coworking space consists of people who work for various companies, projects, and ventures. The typical user of a coworking facility is self-employed, a telecommuter, or a freelance worker. Some businesses use the spaces to provide employees with equipment, space, and services that they could not otherwise afford. Are freelance jobs always performed remotely? It depends on what kind of freelancer you are and what clients you have. For example, a graphic designer for a startup can work entirely remotely by using collaboration tools while an interior designer can work some time from the client’s location to create the best design.

14. What is the difference between co-working space and virtual office space?

There is a significant difference between a co-working space and a virtual office. A freelancer choosing a virtual office would not have physical space to work from. Instead, his monthly fee would cover certain benefits and amenities like virtual assistants, reception service, a physical street address, and mail and couriers handling. Coworking space is a type of workplace where workers share the same environment and build a community. Unlike the corporate office, coworking space consists of people who work for various companies, projects, and ventures. A virtual office gives businesses a physical address and office-related services without the overhead of a long lease and administrative staff. With a virtual office, employees can work from anywhere but still utilize a mailing address, phone answering and messaging services, meeting rooms, and video conferencing at a lower cost and with greater flexibility.

15. What is the difference between remote and work from home?

Generally speaking, remote work and working from home are relatively synonymous, with a slight difference. Remote work implies that the employee works from a chosen location that is not the company’s office. However, not all job done at a distance is done from home—workers may want to work from a coffee shop, coworking space, or an airport lounge.

16. What is the most significant challenge when it comes to remote working?

The biggest challenges include the feeling of isolation and detachment from the team, and establishing the right work-life balance. Difficulties with communication, especially in different timezones, are common. Some also struggle with self-organization and distractions in the home office. What is the difference between on-site and remote work? Remote working means that an employee works mostly from home or a chosen location that is not the company’s office. In this situation, the employee communicates with the company by the means of email or telephone. Working on-site means being physically at the employer’s place of business and talking face-to-face.

17. How fast is remote work growing?

Remote work grows fast, and it is estimated that the number of people working remotely can equal to people working in the office by 2025. If you want to get more knowledge on this topic, check out the Buffer’s “State of Remote Work” report created in partnership with Remote-how. How to work remotely as a stay at home mum? You can find a lot of ways to make money while staying at home with your kids. Everything depends on your skills and motivation. Get inspiration by looking at articles with different jobs for stay at home mum. You can find one here.

18. What are some of the best conferences on remote work?

Remote Future Summit – a virtual conference about remote work where top experts share their best practices on how to tackle the remote revolution. The summit takes place annually around spring.

Running Remote Conference is directed toward founders and entrepreneurs, who begin to or already lead remote teams. The conference focusses on discussions about how to grow, manage, and scale your remote team and features talks from leading tech companies thought leaders and successful founders. Similarly to Running Remote, Remote Leadership Summit is designed for entrepreneurs, who lead remote teams. At this digital nomad conference, you’ll learn how to build a close-knit company culture with your distributed team, network as a remote professional, and grow your business.

Nomad Summit is one of the biggest conferences for digital nomads and remote workers. At this multi-day conference, you’ll hear from successful speakers and network with like-minded professionals.

Nomad City hosts an annual event on Gran Canaria. In 2018, this event lasted over a week and brought together hundreds of remote workers and entrepreneurs from more than 35 countries.

19. What are the benefits of remote working?

The benefits of remote work include greater freedom regarding employees’ work hours and work location. It gives the worker more flexibility to balance work and personal undertakings. Often, working remotely makes employees more productive due to the lack of distractions in regular office space.

20. What are the reasons to work from home?

The most common reason for employees to work from home is the schedule and location flexibility and the ability to be in charge of your day. Having a flexible schedule means you can make time for your kids and family or pursue other interests. No more commute to the office means lower expenses and time savings. Finally, you are free to take control of your work attire.

21. What are the myths of remote work?

You can find a lot of myths about remote work on the internet. The most common ones are decreased productivity, the lack of communication and company culture, presence of more distractions than in the office work, and lack of the precise border between work and rest. Everything depends on your attitude and fundaments your remote company is based on.

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Remote Working 101

22. What essentials are needed when working remotely?

You won’t start to work remotely without a computer and a good network. This is a necessity. However, you need also space (it can be a desk, a coffee place, a coworking space, wherever you feel productive). The task management and communication systems would also be helpful, so make sure you have the right software. With time you can see the need to start using time tracking tool, and you can implement the routines that will help you be productive while working.

23. Is working remotely in another country illegal?

There is no mechanism for now to track remote workers. In the short term, there is nothing wrong about it. However, in the long run, you have to pay attention to local laws related to work permits, residency, and tax. How much can you earn as a remote worker? The salaries as a remote worker differ depending on the job you perform. You can find out how much you can make by searching in Google: “remote YOUR JOB POSITION salary.” To get some insight into the salaries, take a look at the article: https://blog.hubstaff.com/best-paying-remote-jobs/.

24. As a freelancer, do I need to register a business?

No, you can stay a sole proprietor, but registering a business can be beneficial for you. Read the article about it here: http://www.shakelaw.com/blog/freelancing-consider-forming-llc/.

25. How do remote workers get paid if they don’t own a US bank account?

There are a lot of ways to get paid. The most common are PayPal, Payoneer, or Transferwise. You can read the comparison of these tools here and decide which will work the best for you.

26. What are the best resources for remote workers?

Referring to the resources like tools, it’s good to have:

• Communication tool (Slack, Twist, etc.)
• Task management tool (Asana, Trello, Monday, etc.)
• Video tools (Hangouts, Zoom, Skype for business, etc.)
• Time tracking tool (Toggl)
• Cloud Storage & Collaboration tool (Google Drive, Dropbox)

Depending on what kind of job you perform, you can find a lot of other tools useful for you.

27. What are the best books on remote working?

Some of the best books on remote working are:

– Work Together Anywhere: A Handbook on Working Remotely Successfully for Individuals, Teams, and Managers by Lisette Sutherland

– REMOTE: Office Not Required by Basecamp founders, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

– The Art of Staying Productive Even Across Distance by Wrike

– Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

– The Year Without Pants by Scott Berkun.

28. How can I work remotely effectively?

You can consider doing the following:

• Work in sessions. Pomodoro Technique is a great way to work effectively, learn more here.
• Plan your day ahead.
• Set quiet hours when you focus on deep work.
• Exercise daily.
• Take breaks.
• Create processes for things you do regularly. You have to remember that every person is different and you have to check what works for you.

29. How can you prevent loneliness while working remotely?

There are a lot of ways to prevent loneliness while working remotely. You can take part in the virtual meetings and virtual watercooler chats, find an online community, or join the coworking space. A guide from Buffer on this topic can give you more ideas.

30. Do remote workers work longer hours?

It depends on their productivity. People who can focus intensely on their tasks can spend less than 8 hours a day on them. On the other side, unorganized people can work longer hours because of not being able to complete their tasks on time. It depends on your productivity and workload.

31. Do remote workers get paid less?

It can happen when someone negotiates the transition to remote work with an employer who usually doesn’t hire for remote positions and agree on some compromise in the form of a lower salary. However, that happens rarely. You can read the article which brings up this topic.

32. Why do people prefer to work remotely?

Working remotely gives people the freedom to work from anywhere in the world and anytime they want. That means they can adjust their work schedule to their routines and situations. For example, the morning person can wake up early in the morning and perform their work at their productivity peak. Moreover, it can save time by avoiding everyday’s commute and completing daily workload faster.

33. What is it like to work remotely as a software developer?

It depends on the person but to get some insight; you can look at the complex article written by Tigran, a software engineer at Buffer, where he shares his reflections on being a remote developer.

34. Can you work remotely as a data scientist?

Yes, definitely! The highest chances to work on this position remotely you have in startups, big companies with highly developed technology and as a freelancer and you are assessed by the result. To find out more, you can read the article written by Yanir Saroussi, a data scientist from Automattic.

35. Can one do scientific research as a digital nomad?

Sure! Many people in this field live as digital nomads. They attend different kinds of conferences, do research studies, apply for grants, and travel the world at the same time.

36. How to set up my home office?

While setting up your home office, you should consider doing the following:

• Make sure you have a reliable internet signal.
• Buy an ergonomic chair and desk.
• Separate your office from your living space.
• Get rid of distractions like TV, radio, etc.
• Invest in good lighting.
• Get the right devices (like a printer).

37. How do you stop procrastination?

The great way to stop procrastination is the Pomodoro Technique when you work in small 25-30 minutes sessions. To find out more check out the article: How to Stop Procrastinating and Focus: A Guide to the Pomodoro Technique.

38. What are the standard perks that employers provide for remote jobs?

The most common perk is the computer as without it you can’t do your job. The employer can also provide you with the smartphone and headphones (or any other devices that are essential for your work). Sometimes there are special funds for home office set up or education (like conferences, online courses, etc.).

39. Why are some people not open to working remotely?

Some people just don’t go together with remote work. It happens as not everyone can focus on work without having someone supervising them. Moreover, there are people that can’t imagine themselves exchanging personal interaction with communication tools. They want to be surrounded by colleagues, and the idea of loneliness as the remote worker looms large in their minds.

40. Why are so many employers resistant to workers working remotely?

There are two main reasons why employers are not eager to let employees work remotely. Firstly, they have the feeling as they lose control over the employee thinking that employees will spend time on something different than work and what will have an impact on their results. Also, they are afraid of the decline of company culture caused by the lack of face-to-face interaction.

Remote Living

41. What are the best countries for remote work?

It depends on your needs and preferences. You can check the Nomadlist to find your place to work remotely.

42. What are the best cities for remote work?

Again, it depends on your needs and preferences. You can check the Nomadlist to find your place to work remotely.

43. What Southeast Asian Country is the best for remote working?

Southeast Asia is a place where you can meet a lot of remote workers. Especially Thailand, Vietnam, and Bali are highly recommended due to their climate, presence of multiple co-working spaces and vast food options. You can read this article about the best places.

44. Nomads in Africa, where are you, and how do you like it there?

Some of the best places recommended for digital nomads in Africa are Port Louis in Mauritius, Marrakesh in Morocco, Cape Town in South Africa, Kampala in Uganda, Tunis in Tunisia, Nairobi in Kenya, Lagos in Nigeria and Accra in Ghana. All of these places have pleasant weather, a reliable network connection, and a variety of coworking spaces.

45. Where in the world can I live cheaply that has excellent weather and reliable Internet?

Some of the places that are highly recommended are

• Bali, Indonesia
• Mexico
• Thailand
• Vietnam
• India
• Turkey

To find a perfect place, please check Nomdalist and filter the places by the criteria that fit you 🙂

46. What should be the long-term plan to become a digital nomad?

It’s hard to find a one-fits-all plan to become a digital nomad. Firstly, you need to know what is your goal. Do you want to travel for three months or 3 years? Then, you have to think about the way you want to earn money. Think about the skills and services you can offer. Practice your skills. Before leaving you to have to take care of all your possessions (sell not needed stuff? sell or rent a house?). Buy a ticket and begin your journey. However, for every digital nomad, this path is a little bit different. You can read more in the following articles:

https://www.adamenfroy.com/digital-nomad

https://iamaileen.com/how-to-become-a-digital-nomad-guide/

47. What are some recommendations for travel insurance?

Everything depends on your nationality, the places you want to travel to and the extra activity you want to do (like mountain climbing or scuba diving). Make sure to check what is included in the product disclosure statement. Decide if you want to insure also your laptop, luggage, etc. A lot of tips on this topic you will find in this article.

48. Can you use a credit card’s travel insurance?

Yes, you can. However, you have to check what your credit card’s travel insurance covers and what are the upper limits. Usually, the caps are low, and the insurance doesn’t cover medical evacuation so you should consider buying extra travel insurance.

49. How do you maintain a secure wifi connection?

There are a lot of options that you can try. Some of them are international mobile hotspots such as Skyroam, foreign SIM cards, or pre-paid local SIM cards with data. You can also find the accommodation in the place where you have reliable wifi or join the coworking space.

50. What things are harder than you thought they’d be?

While living the life of a digital nomad, you will encounter a lot of challenges. Many people find it very difficult to maintain a balance between work and travel. You have to be conscious of the time you spend on each activity and plan it. Moreover, keeping in touch with friends and family you left at home can be challenging. It’s harder to find time for regular check-ins, and you should plan it as well.

51. What are the recommendations for tax or financial planning?

When you travel as a digital nomad, it is easy to lose control of finance and go with the flow. That’s why you should set a budget (it can be weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, can be for one place you stay in). It’s crucial to do the analysis of the budget regularly and adjust future spendings. You can read more about taxes while being a digital nomad here.

52. How do you find the right places for a month or two to rent?

While looking for a place for one or two months stay, you can search for websites like Spotahome or Nestpick. Also, in Airbnb for more extended stays, there are discounts. The excellent option is also joining the Facebook groups with flat rentals in a city you want to go to. How can I get stuff I miss from my home country while traveling? You can look for a shop selling your local products in the city you are currently in. Also, join the expats’ Facebook groups and ask there. The good idea can also be searching for a local substitute for the thing you are searching for.

53. What do you do when you are sick?

Health is essential, so you should check your body and your general mood regularly. If your body gives you signs that it’s tired, give it a proper rest. Be honest and inform your coworkers about it so that they know what is happening with you. Also, most of the remote companies have their sick policies so become acquainted with it.

Remote Career

54. How can I start working remotely?

First, you have to think about the skills you already have, about your experience and the things you would like to do and try to adjust it to the remote job environment. There are a lot of job boards with remote positions. However, you can also choose the way to set up your own business based on offering services you are good at. What are the first steps to becoming a digital nomad? You have to know what you want to achieve. Do you want to have passive income and travel the world? Work on creating a few passive income streams. Do you want to work remotely from whatever place you wish? Find a remote job. Do you want to go one step further and own the business while traveling the world? It will be more difficult but set up your won business! Everything depends on what you want from your life. Which business analyst skills can I leverage to become a digital nomad? You can read more about the business analyst’s skills here. Try searching for remote business analysts positions and check the requirements they have for them.

55. How to convince my boss to let me work remotely?

The most important part is to prepare for this conversation by thinking about what worries can your employer have and how you can address them. Do they think you won’t be as productive as in the office? Tell them that you will be more relaxed and happy and therefore you will be more focused on the work you have to do. Try asking first about 1-2 days a week trial period for a month. Then show your boss that your results are not negatively influenced by your workplace.

To learn everything about convincing your boss to let you work remotely get our amazing ebook!

56. Can you negotiate to work from home after maternity leave?

Yes, of course! But you have to do this capably. Read the article and spend more time with your baby while working.

57. What are some of the best practices or tips for a first-time remote worker?

Some of the best practices are:

• Separate the place where you work from the living area.
• Use a Pomodoro Technique to be more productive.
• Set working hours.
• Remember about taking breaks.
• Overcommunicate.

Remote Job Search

58. What are the best jobs to work remotely?

Some of the best jobs to work remotely are social media manager, project manager, developer, graphic designer, website designer, virtual assistant, accountant, writer, editor, translator, teacher, customer support, online marketer, SEO specialist, IT support.

59. I’m not interested in coding, what other options are out there?

There is plenty of jobs that can be performed remotely. To name a few: online marketer, graphic designer, virtual assistant, teacher, or customer support. You can search them by typing “remote jobs” in Google search. What is the best way to get into translation? You should start doing freelance translations for the clients. However, read first Nina’s article on how to be a translator.

60. How do I work remote in cybersecurity?

It is crucial that every remote worker knows how to protect themselves in the cyberspace. You should find out more about using a VPN, protecting your data, or creating secure passwords. Beneficial for this is the guide about security best practices from Toptal.

61. What jobs can I do from home without a degree?

There is a lot of jobs that you can do from home without a degree like a website tester, freelance writer, customer support, website developer, or online marketer. In the majority of remote jobs, your skills and experience matter much more than a degree. You can check more here.

62. What companies can I work for from home?

You can work from home for all companies hiring remotely. It can be Doist, Buffer, Automattic, Crossover, Clevertech, Hotjar, or Toptal. You can see the list of 100 companies hiring remotely here.

63. What are the highest paying remote jobs?

People working as software developers, project managers, senior product managers, or UX architects generally earn a lot of money. Some of the highest-paid remote jobs you can check in the Remote Year article.

64. Does Google offer work from home jobs?

Working entirely remotely at Google is possible only in some exceptional cases. Working from home one or two days a week is not a problem. Also, while working at Google, you have flexible work hours. However, a lot depends on your manager, team leader, etc. There is a chance to cooperate fully remotely when you have already shown your value to the company, and you have some circumstances that force you to do so, then you can get approval from your managers to work like this. However, don’t expect to get a fully remote position at the beginning.

65. What are the best remote jobs?

It all depends on your preferences. If you value the most money, full freedom, and flexibility, your mission, feeling of helping people, etc. First, you have to think about how your dream job would be like and then focus on adjusting your skills to get such a position.

66. How to look for remote jobs?

In the beginning, you have to understand what skills remote employers are looking for. Such a person should be a great communicator, should know online collaboration tools, be highly motivated and disciplined. Think about these skills and adjust your CV and LinkedIn profile accordingly, showcasing that you are the right candidate for a remote company. After doing that you can go to remote job boards like Remote.co or FlexJobs and apply for the remote jobs.

67. Where to find remote jobs?

There are a lot of remote job boars like WeWorkRemotely‍, FlexJobs, Jobspresso, Remote.co, etc. You can also check this article with 60 job websites described.

68. What industries are best for working remotely?

Some of the most common industries hiring remotely are IT, marketing, sales, customer support, education, finance, and accounting but also project management and virtual administration.

What companies hire remotely? There is plenty of companies hiring remotely. Just to name a few: Toptal, Hotjar, Buffer, Doist, TaxJar, InVision, Clevertech, GitHub, Zapier, and Remote Year. You can see the list of top 100 companies hiring remotely here.

69. What are the ten best companies to work for that hire remote employees?

You can see the list of top 100 companies hiring remotely here.

70. How do I find the remote job in tech?

Some of the job boards that focus mainly on remote tech roles are AngelList, Dribbble, Authentic Jobs, Power to Fly, and RubyNow.

71. Are startups more likely to have remote positions?

It depends on what kind of startup it is. We, at Remote-how, are fully distributed team working in different time zones and countries. There are also a lot of other startups out there that are entirely remote as Doist or Buffer.

72. Where can I find a work-at-home job that hires convicted felons?

In a remote environment, the most important are your skills and your personality as well as your experience and the motivation to work. You can become the customer support representative, freelance writer, social media manager, virtual assistant, and many more! Just show others that you are a reliable and hard-working person.

73. What are some of the best places to hire remote software developers?

While looking to hire remote software developers, you should search on websites like UpWork, Fiverr, or Freelancer. Also, check the job boards like AngelList, dribble, etc. You can also look at LinkedIn or take part in the tech conferences where you can find a lot of young talented software developers. Moreover, consider posting a job offer on Facebook/LinkedIn groups with tech jobs. Where is the best place to find remote digital marketing jobs? There are a lot of job boards that contain remote digital marketing jobs (Indeed, RemoteMarketing.io, Remote.co, and others). You can also join the Facebook/LinkedIn groups connected to digital marketing or remote marketing jobs.

74. Why do many US jobs which allow 100% remote work, do not permit such employees to work from outside the country?

It is connected to the time zone differences and security, but that is not the main issue. The legal compliance is the biggest challenge as an employee working outside the country brings some legal issues that the company has to adjust to. It can be setting up a legal entity in the country the employee is working from, taking care of a work permit, taxes, and payroll. However, it doesn’t apply to freelancers.

75. How to know if a remote job offer is legitimate?

Some tips to check if the remote job offer is legitimate:

1. Research the company – the website, references, reviews, etc.
2. Check on Better Business Bureau or the Federal Trade Commission if the company is on their scammers’ list.
3. Don’t pay for anything. Remember, if the offer is too good to be true, it is probably a scam.

76. When applying for remote jobs, what is the best way to follow up on your application?

When it comes to following up on your application, you have to be very gentle and respectful. Check out the tips from FlexJobs in this article.

77. Applying for remote work, should you let your employer know that you will be traveling abroad?

You should make sure that the company you are applying to have a 100% remote work policy. That means that you can work from anywhere and anytime you want. There are a lot of companies that have such policies, and they don’t have a problem with time zones differences. However, some companies may not agree for you to be in a very distant time zone, so it’s worth to check it beforehand.

Remote Teams

78. What is a distributed team?

A distributed team is simply a team of people working remotely, not sharing the same office. They can work from different countries, time zones, and don’t need to be in the same place to collaborate.

How to start a remote team? To start a remote team, you have to decide on the values and skills you need from your side. Then you have to find the right people by posting job offers on job boards, on Facebook/LinkedIn groups, etc. You have to pick the right candidates. Looking at their personality and working style is a good idea to make sure your collaboration will be successful. After that, it is good to set communication and collaboration rules and just see how it goes!

Do you manage distributed teams? Or maybe you just collaborate virtually on a daily basis? Learn from managers from companies like Buffer, Doist or InVision how they are managing their teams. 

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79. How to grow distributed teams?

Some of the general tips:

1. Set up daily status updates.
2. Have remote retreats once/twice per year.
3. Hold virtual meetings.
4. Make conclusions on past activities and act accordingly.

Every distributed team is different, and not every idea will resonate with them, so you have to adjust your attitude with time.

80. How to improve communication in remote teams?

One of the tips is to make sure to set the communication rules in your team. For example that you don’t expect an immediate response on Twist/Slack message, set the timing of 24-48 hour response. If you want to know more, there is a useful article on this topic. You can read it here.

81. How do you collaborate with your remote team?

We, at Remote-how, are fully distributed team. We use Twist for internal communication and Gmail for the external one. We document everything in GSuite and store it in Google Drive as it’s straightforward to work on the same file simultaneously. We also schedule Google Hangouts meetings within departments or projects.

82. How to create office culture with remote teams?

It is a good idea to create daily/weekly standup meetings or daily check-ins when you can see your team members and check how they are doing. Also, don’t focus only on work, spend some time celebrating special days (like birthdays), talking about random stuff, and try to get to know each other on a personal level.

83. How to ensure success with remote work or remote teams?

Take into consideration the tips described in this article.

84. How to build team morale with remote teams?

Buiding team morale has a significant impact on the results of your employees. There are some things that you should do:

1. Create the ritual of a shout-out to the person/team who did something right.
2. Make sure that everyone knows the bigger picture, the big goal they are working for.
3. Host monthly/bi-monthly meetings with the whole team to update them with what is going on in the company.

85. What are the best tools to manage a remote employee?

Some of the tools to manage a remote employee are project management tools like Asana, Trello, Cliskup, Basecamp, communication tools like Slack, Twist, collaboration tools like Google Drive, Dropbox or others like Standuply or Toggl. Have you used a Meetup for coworking? (working on your job while others do the same). It can be a good idea when you work all the time from home. You can treat it as an opportunity to meet new exciting people. However, you have to keep in mind that you, as well as other people, came there to work. Limit personal chats to the particular time set for this like lunch.

86. What online game can members of distributed teams play together as an excellent team-building experience?

Some of the games you can play are Transformice, Clash of Clans, Jackbox Party Pack Fibbage, Zombs.io or Gartic.io.

Remote Management

87. Can you manage a startup remotely?

Yes, definitely! We are a great example, startup, fully distributed team! 🙂

88. Can you manage people remotely?

Yes, you can! However, you have to establish a set of rules that will allow you to manage people while creating an influential culture at the same time. What can you find helpful?

1. Focus on clear communication. Be straight about your expectations and rules.
2. Make sure to appreciate others’ great work.
3. Hold regular progress meetings.

You can learn more about distributed management in our program for managers here.

89. How to manage remote employees in a tech startup?

Check out some advice of experienced software engineer on this topic.

90. What are the tips for managing your remote team effectively?

Some of the tips are:

• Overcommunicate.
• Make sure the employee’s goals are aligned with the company’s goals.
• Hold regular progress meetings.
• Create a culture open for feedback.

91. How do you keep remote teams engaged?

Firstly, create an in-depth knowledge of what works well in your specific remote environment. When you already know it, establish and promote the best practices to increase and maintain the levels of engagement amongst your remote team members. These should impact all HR areas from recruitment and onboarding, internal programs with a focus on retention and employee experience, learning and development programs ensuring succession planning, as well as performance evaluation.

92. What are some tips for motivating a remote workforce?

Some tips for motivating a remote workforce are:

1. Set clear expectations.
2. Measure the output, not input.
3. Have regular team-building exercises.
4. Give your employees the amount of freedom they want as long as they keep deadlines.

93. How to deal with team members being spread across the countries and time zones?

Firstly, implement more of an asynchronous style of communication. Don’t expect the immediate responses. Create an internal rule of 24-48 hours for the reaction. Of course, there will be topics that need synchronous communication but try to make it as rare as possible. Also, use collaboration tools like Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. We recommend reading the article on this topic here.

94. What are some good practices when being managed remotely?

When being a remote employee, it is essential to:

• overcommunicate
• update your manager regularly with your progress
• inform in advance about your days off / vacation
• document your processes.

95. How can I be an effective remote manager?

There are already a lot of tips mentioned above but if you are really taking it seriously, we recommend taking a look at Certified in Distributed Management Program. On the website you will find a lot of free resources and materials, and if you like them … well you can enroll to the Program.

96. What are the best tools to manage a remote employee?

Some of the tools to manage remote employees:

• for task management: Asana, Trello, Basecamp, ClickUp
• for document collaboration: GSuite, Dropbox, Airtable
• for internal communication: Twist, Slack
• for video meetings: Google Hangouts, Zoom
• for video screening: Quicktime Player at Mac, Loom
• for time tracking: Toggl

97. What is asynchronous communication?

Asynchronous communication is the style of communication where you don’t expect the immediate response from the person you are writing to. It can be an email or text message. It is especially useful when the team is working in different time zones but also it allows people to get into deep work not being distracted by messages from team members. You can learn more about it here.

Remote Companies

98. What are the challenges of remote working companies face?

Some of the challenges remote companies face are:

• time zones differences
• language and cultural differences
• lack of transparency
• loneliness among remote employees
• lack of collaboration and communication.

99. How can companies make remote work inclusive?

You can read the on 5 Ways Remote Work Leads to More Inclusive Companies and Teams here.

100. What are FROGs?

FROGs mean fully remote organizations. Read Greg Kaplan’s, co-founder and CEO of Remote Year, article on this topic.

101. What Don’t Most Remote Companies Tell You About Remote Work?

Apart from numerous advantages, remote work has also some disadvantages that can become real problems when not addressed on time. First one is the lack of boundaries between work and personal life. You don’t have the separate office, the set work hours, that’s why it’s familiar to overwork. It is crucial to create the boundary by setting the list of tasks to do daily or to track your hours by time tracking app like Toggle. The second challenge is the lack of exercise, especially when you are working from home. Make sure to set aside at least one hour a day to exercise (it can be a walk, a gym, swimming, etc.). Moreover, a lot of remote workers feel lonely while working remotely. It is crucial to have virtual meetings with your coworkers but also to find the community (local, online) based on your values or interests.

102. What are the biggest mistakes companies make with remote work?

Some of the common mistakes remote companies make are not setting up clear and transparent rules, not focusing on overcommunicating, not preparing the processes and policies and ignoring the importance of company culture. You can read more here.

103. Why don’t large companies embrace remote working?

Large companies that don’t embrace remote working are not aware that flexibility is one of the most demanded perks and that it’s not just a trend, it’s future. They feel like it’s a lot of effort and hassle to create proper rules, they don’t want to lose control over the employee. Moreover, they are worried about the company’s culture. However, all of these challenges can be addressed and the employees can be taught how to work remotely. That’s what we do in Remote-how. You can see our offer here.

104. What are some reasons that companies do NOT embrace remote/distributed work?

Will remote teams be the future of startups? Yes, we strongly believe in it! The remote work means more engaged, happy and productive people which leads to more successful companies!

105. What are the steps to set up a remote company?

The crucial thing is setting up your legal entity and making sure you have your financial system in place. That means you can receive money from clients as well as pay salaries to your employees. Then you have to prepare systems (think about communication tools, project management tools, etc. you will be using). With this, you are ready to hire the employees and get to work.

106. How to work on a remote startup as a solo entrepreneur?

Can a startup be successful if the team is completely remote? Yes, of course! The technology is awesome today and there are a lot of examples of fully remote startups. Take a look at Doist, Buffer, Automattic… and hey! Don’t forget about Remote-how! 🙂

107. What are your thoughts on outsourcing/offshoring and fully remote employees?

Many pieces of research showed that remote employees are not only more productive but also more happy, engaged and motivated. When it comes to offshoring it’s a great way to focus on the growth of your business and outsource the specialized work to the people that are experts in given areas.

108. What are common problems when hiring a software developer from outside your country?

The most common problems are related to communication and different time zones. It’s very important to teach an employee how to work remotely which we do in our Academies (more info here) You can also look at the interview with Craig Cannon, the Director of Marketing at Y Combinator, who shares the secrets of working with remote developers.