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by macksd 1970 days ago
I'm not sure I'd want all-or-nothing to be the norm. I was a full-time remote worker before the pandemic, but I think one of the reasons it worked so well for me is because I had been able to build up a lot of the working relationships I have now in person. I made the decision to go remote because it was just going to work better for me, and I was fully aware that I would have to work at not being forgotten by the people in the office. There are ways to deal with it: you need to overcommunicate, make conscious efforts to get in on "office gossip" (the non-toxic kind), etc. An occcasional office visit or retreat makes a big difference.

Some of the people I've enjoyed working with the most have really struggled with the 100% remote dynamic during the pandemic. They have different personalities which have made it hard for them to be stuck at home, but those personalities make them great team members too. I'm not sure I'd want to just never work with people like that again.
1 comments
bendauphinee 1970 days ago
> is because I had been able to build up a lot of the working relationships I have now in person

I’ve been remote only for a decade, and built those same relationships while doing so.

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macksd 1970 days ago
Yeah it's definitely doable. I suppose in addition to the relationships, I especially appreciate having been in the office because it was very early in my career. There's a lot of stuff I know now that I didn't know then about how typical software companies work (where my previous jobs had been very different). I suspect I would've had a much harder time picking up a lot of unspoken understanding if I had been remote right off the bat. Meeting random people (big fan of Donut in Slack now) and being in hallway conversations was a really big deal for me, even though I don't much care for that when I have a choice.
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ghaff 1970 days ago
I've been fully remote for a few years and more remote than not for quite a bit longer. But it's difficult for me to imagine having done this as a fresh grad. Very different time and communication channels to be sure, but still.
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