At my new job as Developer Advocate at Applitools, I now permanently work remotely. Working from home is new to me. At my previous company PrecisionLender (later acquired by Q2), I worked in an office that was a seven-minute drive from my house. My office was a real office: an enclosed room with a door, walls, a large desk, and two huge whiteboards. Working from the office was a joy. We had free snacks and sodas. My colleagues and I all got along great, and we’d go out to lunch almost every day. After COVID-19 hit the USA in March 2020, I was heartbroken to abandon the office. I was so stubborn about eventually returning to the office that I refused to set up a decent workstation at home. For a year and a half, I worked exclusively on my laptop either from a desk in my living room or from the couch – no monitors, no mouse, and no separate keyboard. I mean, come on, the pandemic would be over in a few short months, right?
However, my attitudes about remote work are changing. At PrecisionLender, I was spoiled with the best kind of office situation someone could have. Many others in the software field are not so fortunate. Those who live in the big cities like New York and San Francisco pay thousands of dollars a month to split tiny apartments and spend an hour or more on one-way commutes. Not to mention, many of them move away from family and friends to take those opportunities.
Office layout trends in recent years have also been dismal. The open layout – no walls with clusters of desks sloppily smashed together – is the norm. Perpetual audio and visual distractions are a nightmare for anyone trying to concentrate. Widescreen monitors and noise-cancelling headphones only help a little. I experienced that frustration at MaxPoint and LexisNexis. Cubicles, while passé these days, are only a small step up from open floors. While the “walls” block out visual distractions, you can still hear everything that goes on around you. Plus, the enormous blocks of cubicles on a floor feel brutally confining. I frequently called the IBM 500 complex in RTP “Cubicle City” when I worked there.
Remote work can be a godsend for many hardworking folks who just want to do a good job while doing right by themselves. Folks, especially in software, can literally work anywhere. COVID-19 shutdowns have proven it. My wife and I even took advantage of it: we bought a vacation condo in Seattle, and I worked remotely from there for several weeks. I could automate tests during the day, grab beers with close friends, and catch a Mariners game on the weekend. Even with a 3-hour time zone difference, I was right in step with my team the whole time.
Recently, I saw a Twitter thread by Chris Herd in which he made several predictions on remote work in 2022 and beyond:
This thread really resonated with me. While I still have some concerns about remote work, I do believe it will be a net good for not only my country and people but also for the world. I’d like to highlight some of the points he made that really stuck out to me.
I agree completely with this, and I’m excited to see it happen. The US has so many awesome places, from sea to shining sea. There’s no reason why someone should need to move from their hometown to a big city just to work for a specific company (unless, of course, they want that adventure). Places like Raleigh-Durham, Nashville, Denver, Miami, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Cleveland, and countless other smaller American cities are fantastic places to live. Each has a unique vibe and local specialties. Allowing folks to live where they want with good employment opportunities will rejuvenate local and regional economies. It will bring broader prosperity to all.
This is happening already. The Triangle of NC, where I live, is booming. My wife and I rent local listings on Airbnb, and all through the pandemic, the #1 type of guest we’ve hosted by far is someone interested in relocating to the Triangle.
I hadn’t thought about asynchronous work until Chris mentioned it, but he’s right. Life is 24/7, and people live all around the globe. Remote work can liberate us from a harsh 9-5 and instead embrace more flexible hours. For example, this past week, I had to work around the clock for a few days prepping a big webinar. However, I wasn’t working for 16 hours straight each day. I woke up a bit late, did some light administrative activities before lunch, hit it hard all afternoon, stopped for dinner and time with my puppy, and then burned the midnight oil after dark. That’s what worked for me.
Yes! I’m living it myself. My wife and I just adopted a French bulldog puppy, and I also started restoring a vintage 1970 Volkswagen Beetle.
I sure hope so! Break down those entry barriers. Do away with the gatekeepers. End coastal elitism.
I sure hope this one becomes true, but I’m skeptical.
This one is so ironic. Based on many articles I’ve read, upper management seems to despise work-from-home because they think their workers will work less. However, all the good, hardworking folks I know are actually working more than ever. Not only are folks more efficient, but they tend to keep working just a little extra because there are fewer barriers between work stuff and personal stuff. In my new job, I know I’m certainly working more hours right now than I probably should, and I’m hoping to settle into a more sustainable routine as I acclimate to my new role. Nevertheless, we absolutely need to protect ourselves against unintentional burnout.
One big concern I have with remote work is the loss of in-person contact. Humans need to be around each other, and screens are a poor substitute. I know I’ve felt lonelier working from home than when I worked in an office. That’s why I absolutely love this idea about regular remote retreats. Companies can still bring folks together, and they can hire professionals who know how to maximize that time. I go to software conferences frequently for similar experiences.
I think this goes hand-in-hand with async work. However, unless safeguards are put in place to prevent overworking, then life-work balance could quickly become work-more-work imbalance.
Honestly, this one was never much of a problem for me. The only “paddings” I’ve had in my workdays are long, boring meetings where I participated little. Thankfully, those were confined mostly to my days at IBM and NetApp earlier in my career.
YES! Even though my commutes have always been relatively short, I still appreciate the time I get back in my day. Here are some things I’ve done with my extra, more flexible time:
- Sleep in a little later
- Play with my puppy when I need a break
- Share lunch nearby with friends
- Run a quick errand in my Beetle
- Grab an impromptu bubble tea with my wife
- Take a walk around my neighborhood while thinking about work-related challenges
Documentation is the unspoken superpower of remote teams. I strongly value written communication for its clarity, searchability, and permanence.
Chris had lots of other good tweets in that thread, so be sure to read them. Overall, his tone was bullishly optimistic on remote work – not only in its benefits, but also in its inevitability. Personally, I hope remote work is here to stay, and that it’s not just a phase brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a game-changer for individuals and industries alike. However, I’m still somewhat fearful that big companies will reign in wide scale returns to the office after the pandemic. Giants have already sunk millions to billions in commercial real estate for their offices that they can’t get back. I’m also worried about salaries in different geographies. Employers already pay folks who live outside of big cities much less for the same work due to cost-of-living differences. I don’t think that will be fair as people leave big cities in droves for smaller cities or the countryside. Already, the cost of living is skyrocketing in the Triangle, yet our average tech salaries are far below those of Silicon Valley. We’ll see what happens.
Overall, I am optimistic about remote work just like Chris.
So, what do y’all think? Please leave comments below. I’d love to learn different perspectives!
Automation Panda 
It is inevitable that the future belongs to companies that will allow workers to work remotely.
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Honestly, remote work has its advantages and disadvantages. The biggest problem of remote work unfortunately isn’t the remote part of it. As you said it yourself, asynchronous work and remote work combine to make ideal outputs. However, most organizations haven’t really woken up to the scope of remote work. However, this is clear→ If you know where you perform best, there is no stopping you!
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