Having worked full-time remote for more than two years so far (and part-time remote before that) I agree with the conclusion that remote workers are no less productive than on-site employees, but that the trade off can be frustration and feeling disconnected.
I would actually say I am more productive at home (no commute, fewer in-person distractions, comfort of having my own kitchen and making coffee my way).
When I go into the office for occasional on-site meetings, I definitely feel more invigorated and energized from being around people and collaborating on a shared vision, at the expense of being able to focus deeply and get concentration-heavy work done.
I think it's about striking the right balance, and having a company that strives to enable the remote teams (especially important if you are a hybrid on-site/remote company)
I'm overall happy with the mix/ratio, and I think what helps is that we're always striving to improve wherever possible.
I've been a remote employee for nearly 10 years now. You're pretty spot on - it all depends on the team.
I've been on teams that collaborate a lot in person, whiteboarding, etc, and it gets frustrating to get 'left out.' That said, I've also been on teams where even sitting next to each other in an office, they communicate over slack/hangouts. Those teams made me feel absolutely no different as a remote employee.
In those instances, it was just preference of the team and how they interacted, more than anything. I think anyone who manages teams with remote employees should push towards this. Sure of course you can still have your random whiteboard breakouts, but perhaps require some time of everyone at least on audio, perhaps video.
This pretty much sums it up — going into the office is great for collaboration and socializing but I’m always at a loss as to when anybody actually manages to get work done.
Working from home is amazing for getting things done because I can get deep into my work for a few days in a row with relatively few distractions or context switches.
Google uses Hangouts for video chat and it “just works” really well for one-on-one or even group video where all other participants are in one location.
I’ve also found that getting “face time” with other teams to be incredibly important for getting their buy-in for whatever I’m trying to convince them to do. Being a random guy on the other end of a chat or email isn’t as useful as verbal chat for just a few minutes — especially lacking the ability to just stop by someone’s desk for an impromptu chat.
I would actually say I am more productive at home (no commute, fewer in-person distractions, comfort of having my own kitchen and making coffee my way).
When I go into the office for occasional on-site meetings, I definitely feel more invigorated and energized from being around people and collaborating on a shared vision, at the expense of being able to focus deeply and get concentration-heavy work done.
I think it's about striking the right balance, and having a company that strives to enable the remote teams (especially important if you are a hybrid on-site/remote company)
I'm overall happy with the mix/ratio, and I think what helps is that we're always striving to improve wherever possible.
edit: typo