Last month, we had surveyed the Workfrom community to get their thoughts and inputs on what they wanted to see in the Workfrom community Slack. Ask Me Anything (AMA’s) were among the top rated community initiatives.
On 3rd October, 2019, we organized our first ever AMA, with our guest, Darren Buckner, CEO of Workfrom!
Here are some fun facts about Darren:
- Started his first company at age 19 🚀
- Used to be a bouncer in Las Vegas nightclubs 💪🏻
- Used to build software for the NFL (National Football League) 🏈
- Has FIVE amazing sisters 👭
Here’s a recap of some of the super interesting questions that the community asked:
Q: Do you think remote working will ever become prevalent in non-digital non-online type roles? Have you seen any examples of traditional roles/jobs that have become part-time remote?
Darren: I do think many roles will adopt remote working over time. we already see it in consulting, research, medical and other areas. technology is a key component of communication when working remotely so i do think that remains the case moving forward. of course we’ll see new ways of communicating evolve. I have seen part-time remote jobs for all kinds of traditional roles, lots in finance, accounting, sales and research.
Q: What tool/technique/product do you think is most missing in the current remote work landscape to help more folks be productive or allow them to switch to remote work?
D: Great question and I do think about this a lot. I think employers have a unique role in helping more people switch to remote, and be productive. What I’d like to see are platforms that enable companies to better support their teammates on a local level (e.g. benefits, lifestyle support, entertainment, community). I also think the remote landscape needs to more access to productivity outside of homes.
Q: Do you think we will ever reach a point where ‘remote work’ will just be called ‘work’ — making it a standard way of working?
D: I do! In fact the notion of “remote” will likely fall away sooner than later. I’m reminded of the term “yuppies” that became popular when younger professionals flocked to metropolitan areas to sustain a work style/lifestyle. How often do you hear that term these days?
Q: What advice do you have for someone seeking (or in) a leadership role (Director/VP) at companies not explicitly looking to looking for a fully remote.
D: I believe making the case for working remotely is a pretty straight line if the company values outcomes over oversight. My motto is to make the case! I think many modern companies are aware that working remotely is very popular and increasingly an important part of the decision making process of potential teammates. You are certainly valuable, so don’t let where you work stop the company from recognizing that value.
Q: What can policy makers do to support remote work in rural areas and marginalized groups?
D: Policy makers can help remove barriers to finding remote work. They can create campaigns to explicitly attract and reward people working remotely in rural areas (seeing some of this happening now). Marginalized groups need serious opportunity first. Often, these groups are supported in spirit only and no real money, or long term focus is dedicated to the change we want to see.
If you participated in the AMA, we hope that you had as much fun as we had organizing it! We’d love to do many more community centric activities and we’d love your support. If you haven’t joined our Slack community yet, join us here: https://workfrom.co/chat
Responses