[zmoazeni]

I suspect most companies with remote workers don't fall in Choice 2 or 3. I believe most companies fall into a new class which is: employees are co-located, and a minority are remote.

Speaking from experience on both sides of that coin (currently the remote-side). It stinks. Communication incentives are out of wack. Remote people feel isolated and missing out on conversations, whether needed for a project or just missing out on camaraderie. Co-located people feel the distance of the remote people, and they either make conscious inefficient communication choices to include them or continue with the confortable in-person efficient choices.

It's hard work to have a minority of your workforce remote. I believe that if the balance tips the other way, remote communication and coordination gets easier and more streamlined. Even if it's not fully remote or separate co-located teams.

[MattRogish]

My last gig was primarily co-located but a few remote. We found the best way to make it work was to treat everything as if we were remote. We all used chat rooms, IM, etc. - just like we would if remote - even though we were in the same room. Your team can do it, too. It's not that hard but it takes focus and effort.

[its_so_on]

Really, you would type in chat with someone who was next to you? A real conversation is such a great thing, that I would not give that up. Much better is what the other guy in the thread is doing, skyping into a big screen in the room as interim-big-brother. Of course, he can't walk in close to join a converstaion, but unless there is a whiteboard or something out of reach, at least the conversation can still move over to him :)

[MattRogish]

Real conversations are great, but terrible for anyone not in them. What if a co-worker is out sick? At lunch? On vacation? Without studious note-taking any ad hoc conversation is just an untracked change. Not saying they shouldn't occur but if they do, the change (if any) needs to be appropriately communicated to the rest of the group.

I've found that note-taking / decision communication happens so infrequently that it's far better in the long run to just stick to logged forms of communication.

If it's a pair programming team, of course, the documentation is in the code. But if it's something architectural or changing the direction of the product/team, it's gotta be written down.

[its_so_on]

I understand the NEED not to have real conversation, but the idea that you're typing away with someone who is next to you (when you could open your mouth and have this great conversation) is so inhuman to me, I don't think I could ever acquiesce to such a working environment.