Scott Berkun
Author of The Year Without Pants
Find out why remote workers fail according to Scott Berkun
Key Takeaways
• Remote working often fails due to poor management • Remote workers need an office based representative who communicates key information • Remote workers need a cultural bias towards action rather tan caution in order to thrive • Remote workers need clearly defined roles • Regular, clear communication is vital for remote working to be successful • Hiring the right person for remote working is essential
View on scottberkun.comDiscover some of facts and debunk the misconceptions associated with the rise of remote working
Key Takeaways
• The amount of people working remotely is on the rise • Many people do some form of remote work without even realising • Most of fully remote companies are young and small • Remote working is not for everyone, it is just another variable which people need to decide on when defining their role • Managers should give good employees the chance to work from home
View on scottberkun.comExplore ways to convince bosses to try new ideas such as working remotely
Key Takeaways
• Build a strong reputation before suggesting any new ideas • Connect your goals with the goals of your boss • Build support from colleagues • Back up your suggestions with evidence and case studies • Propose that the changes could be on a trial basis and work hard to prove it works
View on scottberkun.comRead Scott's answer to a question, posed by a reader of his blog, about how working remotely can improve diversity
Key Takeaways
• Output is the main focus when managing a remote team • As communication is mainly written judging people on their accent is reduced • It's quite possible to not meet a colleague until months after starting to work with them, this can reduce bias • Workers can be hired from anywhere in the world which can lead to an increase in diversity
View on scottberkun.comRead the answers to some of the most common questions that Scott Berkun has heard associated with his book: The Year Without Pants
Key Takeaways
• What makes remote work hard is figuring out habits that work for your psychology, shifting culture to be more autonomous and learning to be a better communicator. • There are better tools and culture for communication than email and meetings. • To convince your boss to let you work remotely, ask to try working remotely on a trial basis. If in a month your performance doesn’t worsen, ask to continue.
View on scottberkun.comDiscover Scott Berkun's thoughts regarding the relevance of the meeting in the modern workplace
Key Takeaways
• The final meeting should be planned at the first (if it is envisioned that the meetings will be recurring) • Meetings should be short, relevant and have few attendees • Question the validity of meetings as often they are the ego booster of one person
View on scottberkun.comFind out what Scott Berkun learnt from his year working at Automattic and managing a fully remote team
Key Takeaways
• It is very possible to have creative, collaborative spaces online • Company culture is critical to the success or failure of fully remote organisations • Let the employee decide what will help them be more productive • Choose the right tools to help make remote work a success
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