Musings on Working Remotely
I am a remote programmer at NPR. I initially worked at our Boston office and when that was closed last year I became full-time remote. It is not without its challenges, but for me it is the most fulfilling way of working that I’ve experienced. The folks in Digital Media have really tried to embrace the concept of working remotely. My observations about the nature of remote work at NPR may not apply to all aspects of the organization.
General Musings
Collaboration Happens Differently
People tend to think it is harder to collaborate when workers are remote, but in my experience the opposite is true. Instead of communicating with people in physical proximity to yourself, which could leave those not in the area out of the loop, communication is done via tools like Slack. You don’t start a Slack conversation with the teammates who happen to be near you, you have it in the team channel or by inviting all the people that need to be part of the conversation. If they don’t happen to be at their desk at that moment, they can still participate when they return; the conversation has not been lost in the ether.
Multiple Contexts are a Challenge
That is not to say that communication is without challenges. People need to be mindful that if there are conversations that take place in the office the information conveyed in those conversations will need to be shared with those who weren’t present. It’s important to not assume people will know what you’re talking about if you make a post to Slack that references conversations remote workers weren’t part of. For the remote worker, it is important to ask what people mean when something is posted that lacks context.
One Size Does Not Fit All
There are many many ways to implement a remote work policy. People, and how they work best, are infinite in their variety. There are workers, generally extraverts, who need the social interactions of being around other people in order to do their best work. There are others, generally introverts like myself, who are energized by quiet and do their best work when they can stay focused. Companies that don’t allow for remote work may be sacrificing the productivity of some of their workers. On the other hand, companies that do allow remote workers have to be careful that they choose people who are self-driven and can thrive in isolation. The Digital Media department is trying to navigate those complexities in ways that allow all of us to contribute and thrive.
Remote Life with the Digital Media team at NPR
NPR takes working remotely on a case-by-case basis. People are rarely hired as remote workers, but the company is open to allowing it for existing employees who move outside the DC area. I don’t know the official reasons for this, but I assume that it is because it is harder to establish the kind of trust that is necessary for those who start out as remote. As the quality of tools for remote collaboration has increased, so has the number of people working from other locations.
Daily Communications
We make lots of digital calls and make liberal use of GoToMeeting. We make a point of turning on our cameras during these meetings to increase the sense of connection. It is the rare day when I haven’t talked to a coworker “face to face” in this manner.
More often than not, when scheduling meetings, the invite will include information on which GoToMeeting to use. People are attuned to the fact that most meetings will have at least one person connecting remotely.
We use Slack constantly. There’s a #remote-control channel where we can touch base with other remote workers. There are team channels with active discussions among team members. There are educational channels like #next-gen-js where people meet to share new technologies and lessons learned. And there are social channels like #musiclovers and #knitting-club, where people with common interests can get to know each other.
Connecting in the Real World
In addition, we have remote workers come to town periodically. When they do, we try to schedule social events. These can range from a whole bunch of people heading down to the biergarten for a drink after work to a few people gathering for a board game. All of this helps coworkers get to know each other and work more effectively together.
Opportunities for Improvement
Not everything is sunshine and roses, of course. For example, sound quality in meetings can vary dramatically in different conference rooms. This can make it hard for folks listening in remotely to fully participate in meetings. Some people are really good about checking in on audio quality, but there are times when it is a challenge to ensure we don’t miss anything. However, the fact that even non-remote workers generally work from home one day a week means they are familiar with the downsides to remote technology so there is more awareness of the issue within our department than most.
Work That Matters
Finally, we are lucky in that so many of our people are really passionate about working at NPR. This is more than a job to us, which means each of us is committed to the organization and making sure our contribution to it is valuable. There are the inevitable bumps in the road and things we could do better, but we’re actively learning and encouraging each other as we make our way in this new world without walls.
