[neebz]

I loved remote work and did a lot of effort to ensure that we adopt a remote-friendly culture.

However I will never get over the fact that we found some of our engineers ended up doing freelancing work, over-estimating work and basically just slacking around in the freedom of their homes.

I would love to hear if anyone had similar experiences or how they prevent such in remote environments.

[skypanther]

I've worked remote for over a decade. At the best jobs, I was made to feel fully part of the team. I was included in decision making, kept updated with changing plans, had a means to communicate & stay socially and professionally involved with the team. In those cases, I was fully dedicated to the job.

On the other hand, I've worked other jobs where I was essentially ignored for weeks, even months at a time. I was left out of decisions, etc and just handed work to do. At those places, I definitely drifted off into my own stuff.

[auggierose]

That is an interesting point. Personally, I think remote work should be freelance work.

[maxaf]

Are you saying that remote employees should be deprived of full-timer benefits and legal protections, however meager? All because of trust issues that grew out of experience with a bad apple which isn't representative of remote workers in general?

Empirically speaking, effective remote employees are more trustworthy and less prone to organizational politics. I can even tell you why: these people have a system of values outside of work that in turn values their professional activities as something that helps enable this desirable lifestyle. In return, work is treated with diligence and virtue.

I'm sorry that you or the person you're replying to have had a negative experience with remote workers. As usual, a few bad apples don't spoil the whole bunch.

[auggierose]

I didn’t have any bad experiences with remote workers, and I can definitely see how that can work for non-freelancers. Personally, I just think remote and freelance are an ideal combination for independent creatives.