From today’s Inc.:
It’s been more than four years since the Covid-19 pandemic changed how and where knowledge workers interact with their workplaces. Today, we see a dynamic mix of remote, hybrid, and in-person attendance models, proving that 2020 permanently changed our collective outlook on work, flexibility, and talent.
But if there’s anything the past four years have taught us, it’s that the idea that people need to be at an office from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, to be productive is an outdated way of thinking. In fact, recent data reveals only 16 percent of white-collar workers feel they’re more productive in the office, compared to 46 percent who said they’re more productive at home.
The shift to remote work proved that geographical differences are not the limitations they once were. Broader geography allows companies to access a wider range of talent, all while meeting talent exactly where they’re at. As the CEO of Oyster, a fully remote company of more than 500 employees in 70 countries, I like to think that we’ve truly mastered the art of remote work—but that didn’t come without learning lessons along the way. Here are five of the best lessons to come out of those years.
1. Remote work is not just about the tools—it’s about the rules, too.
In early 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, my co-founder, Jack Mardack, and I had just started our new business: a global employment platform to enable cross-border hiring. While the world was on lockdown, we had to launch, fundraise, and go from no product to a minimum viable product in a matter of months. All during the pandemic; all across two continents; and all over Slack and Zoom.
Read the complete story here.