Your Remote Learning & Development Resources Blog

I’m just going to say it … remote work is glorious. It’s liberating to have autonomy over my days, it keeps me from having to commute, and it has given us the ability to access people, ideas and communities through work in ways that were previously constrained. The overall concept of #remotework is rooted in recognizing that each individual is trying to find balance across all aspects of life, and that time is valuable. Also, that your physical location shouldn’t limit your ability to access or deliver productive work.

We also talk about the benefits of remote work to teams and companies in addition to the individual workers themselves. No longer a trend, remote work is a movement that we at Workplaceless are obviously passionate about.

But there’s a catch—if you’re passionate about, or experienced in, remote work, you know it’s not all hammock swings and piña coladas. In addition to team challenges, there are...

We’ve all read the declaration that remote work is on the rise and expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. Yet, some companies are changing course by banning and limiting remote opportunities, finding comfort in supposedly having more controlled work environments in brick-and-mortar offices.

A recently published SHRM article (“Why Are Companies Ending Remote Work?”) discusses the reasoning behind the shift of large corporations such as IBM, ATT and Yahoo to recall remote employees. Specifically, the author identifies the following concerns with remote work:

• Employers allow people to work remotely without giving them the proper training or resources to do so productively.

• Supervisors—untrained on how to properly manage and monitor remote workers—find it easier to manage someone face-to-face.

• Some supervisors—perhaps because they feel they must be in control or don't trust their workers—are uncomfortable having...

It's been an exciting couple months at Workplaceless!

One of the highlights was winning the JMU College of Business Innovation in Emerging Business Award at the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council (SVTC) Tech Nite. We were incredibly honored to receive the recognition and to be in such great company alongside fellow leaders in the local region.

We're grateful to be a part of the community that SVTC has grown and fostered. Not only did they celebrate business and education innovation at their annual Tech Nite awards gala, but also hosted a follow-up event with members where we were able to have a more intimate Q&A discussion about the #futureofwork. Thank you SVTC for the recognition and the fast friends!  

Read our full press release here.

Check out some photos from both the Tech Nite Gala and the follow-up luncheon.

via GIPHY

By Tory Fitzgerald, Operations Leader and Remote Work Seeker

Any opinions expressed within the blog are those of the author and not necessarily held by Workplaceless itself.

15 years ago, the world was introduced to the world’s greatest movie – 50 First Dates. I know every single one of you is shaking your heads, YES! It’s funny, a great love story and involves adorable penguins, that’s a win in my book! It’s a classic! (Okay, maybe not a classic, but it is good!) This is one of my go-to movies when there is NOTHING on Netflix, Hulu or Prime.

But why will this movie stand the test of time? – Because it is relatable. The core of the plot line is Adam Sandler’s character, (Henry) is trying to convince Drew Barrymore’s character, (Lucy) with repetitive short-term memory loss, over and over again to… love him.

Relatable.

Whether you are going on 50 First Dates with a girl who has...

To hire, or not to hire?

It may feel as though most businesses have only just fully embraced and fostered Millennial talent in their corporate cultures, and now a new wave of candidates are hitting the job market.

The great news for remote companies: Gen Z (born 1997 - 2012) is by far the most digitally literate. (Crazy sidenote: They don’t know a world without smartphones !) Yet it seems that while they naturally possess the adequate digital skills to fill remote roles, many HR personnel may feel a level of discomfort with inexperienced workers starting positions while physically isolated.

And yes, isolation (and the pangs of loneliness that come with it) are the most frequently cited challenges for remote workers. Employers may need to be more aware of the mental health aspect of remote work for younger candidates; however, the health, safety and wellness of employees should really be treated as integral parts of your company culture in order...

The short answer -- Incredibly Relevant -- but it's all about your communication.

Like it or not, unless you’re completely off the grid without internet connection, you’re actively partaking in today’s digital economy. While some of us merely are on the consumer end of this, much of today’s workforce involves jobs solely based in or for digital companies.

With your groceries a click away or a ride to the airport summoned by a simple swipe, there are many benefits to digitalization. The rise of the internet and the Gig Economy have brought along many opportunities as well--perhaps chief among them the ability to work remotely.

Digitalization has also given rise to interesting new jobs, as well as reimagined traditional jobs that can now be done from anywhere in the world … despite this, U.S. bachelor's degrees haven’t changed significantly over this time. And these new roles require a particular set of skills. Burning Glass...

We're grateful for our partnership with appear.in. - a company focused on making collaboration from anywhere possible by providing one of the easiest and most effective video meeting tools for remote work.

We chatted with Børge Dvergsdal, Head of Culture, about "How we built a remote work culture at appear.in"

Q: How did the appear.in team become a remote work organizational structure?

A: Our remote work culture started when one of our engineers wanted to move from Oslo to a smaller city. He was tired of commuting, the high cost of living and wanted a less stressful life closer to his family, and thus the remote work policy was born. In the early days, he was struggling with the feeling of isolation, so we needed to find a way to solve our first remote hurdle. We decided to implement our new remote work culture by involving the entire company in the process. Getting the team excited was the first task, then realizing that this is...

Ever ask yourself if you might lose your job to a robot soon? For some jobs there may be an adequate machine or AI replacement; for other more nuanced roles, however, machines may not be able to replace us. As London Business School professor Lynda Gratton puts it in this article about the challenge of scaling soft skills: “... right now and in the foreseeable future, machines are generally poor at understanding a person’s mood, at sensing the situation around them, and at developing trusting relationships.” So really what it boils down to is that robots have poor soft skills. Lucky for us, this is where we as humans can shine and make ourselves irreplaceable!

As LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner points out, it’s not coding where we currently have the biggest skills gap, it’s soft skills. He calls it the NO.1 job skill that American employees are missing.

Isn’t it time that we but more effort into developing these sought after...

In our April Networkplaceless virtual event, remote workers and leaders from all over the world shared their thoughts on the top interests, knowledge, and skills that are necessary in remote work, which included curiosity for learning, time management, problem-solving, and adapting to new technology. (See learnings infographic below.)

Developing these, and other job-and remote-work specific skills, is critical to keeping remote teams flexible, competitive, and engaged. Employee training doesn’t just help with skillbuilding, but also improves employee engagement and retention, and can even have a positive impact on your company’s bottom line.

Who wouldn’t want any of that?

So, what’s the hold up?

If you are a manager, trainer, or HR professional and have begun looking into remote skillbuilding, you might find yourself at a loss regarding where to start. There’s a lot of content out there about what remote work skills...

Have you considered ditching a brick-and-mortar business set up to enable your teams to work remotely?

Your bank account would certainly welcome the significantly lower overhead and fixed costs. And your conscience would likely rest at ease knowing that you’re decreasing a broader carbon footprint, thanks to lower utility consumption and eliminated commutes. Plus, there’s that massive talent pool you are now able to tap into... hiring, retaining, and training all-star professionals without location-based or cost-of-living salary constraints.

According to Werk’s recent research report, “96% of employees in the U.S. workforce need some form of flexibility at work, yet only 42% have access to the type of flexibility they need, and only 19% have access to a range of flexible options.” To be able to offer flexible options puts your organization at a serious advantage in the supply and demand of the flexible workforce.

Now that the sky's the limit--and...