Jeff Robbins interviews Egor Borushko, who is the Co-founder and Producer at the Running Remote Conference about the current state of remote work, the current state of conferences, and the gamut of all the things that have changed around the pandemic. Here’s the transcript: JEFF ROBBINS: Hi Folks. It’s Jeff Robbins, back with Episode 88 of the Yonder podcast where we talk to company leaders and big thinkers about how to make remote work. We’re focused on expanding the remote work job market and helping listeners to create happy, productive, distributed teams. This time we talk with Egor Borush ..read more

Jeff Robbins interviews Juan Salas, CEO and Co-founder of Celerative, about building trust and transparency, working with freelancers across time zones, and giving teams tools and feedback to improve productivity. Discussion Topics… Working at Celerative Looking at the day-to-day look for a Celerative developer Becoming a Celerative developer Using algorithmic project management Encouraging professional development for freelance software developers Empowering project managers with the tools they need to become more effective Connecting great customers with the right talent to he ..read more

Jeff Robbins interviews Tammy Bjelland about helping remote workers develop core competencies, training remote leaders, and the nuances of creating curricula for remote workers. Discussion Topics… Creating adaptable curricula for remote workers Teaching new remote workers about how to get started successfully in a distributed environment Why developing skills around autonomy matters to remote workers Challenges distributed teams face in building or repairing trust Dangers of trusting too much when hiring new distributed employees Career development issues workers often encounter at ..read more

Jeff Robbins interviews Chris Patrick, HR and People Ops at Zapier, about remote career development, salaries and compensation, and management tactics. Discussion Topics… Behind the scenes with Zapier Handling communication when a team is fully distributed around the globe Zapier’s favorite asynchronous communication tools (Slack, Async, Quip) Having 24/7 coverage for customer support because of distribution Grouping teams and managers into similar time zones improves collaboration What actually happens at Zapier’s company and team retreats? Defining the company’s values and how ..read more

Jeff Robbins interviews Evelin Andrespok, HR Manager at Toggl, about the ins-and-outs of managing a distributed team across cultures and countries. Discussion topics… What’s the challenge in going from a co-located company to a distributed company? What is time zone empathy? Video vs audio for company calls Basing asynchronous communication around using Slack How many get-togethers does Toggl have each year? Getting (and staying) connected as a remote workforce Is it possible to avoid the common mistakes remote teams make? Which tools do you use for internal communication? Wh ..read more

Jeff Robbins interviews Roberta Sawatzky about the necessary skills and competencies for remote work in today’s evolving workplace. Discussion topics… How well are people supported when working remotely? Are we preparing young people for the remote-friendly workplace? How do we link remote work competencies to feedback? Which qualities do remote workers need to demonstrate before they are hired? Why is there often a feeling of shame around working remotely? How hiring entry-level people is a big challenge for distributed companies Why each of these competencies matter to remote w ..read more

Jeff Robbins interviews John T. Meyer, CEO at Lemonly. We discuss crafting a company culture, designing an awesome place to work, and how to communicate effectively as a hybrid company. Discussion Topics… How has the hybrid company model worked for Lemonly? What are the perks to building flexibility into your company’s work culture? What are the differences in communication for hybrid teams versus 100% remote companies? Which elements are most important to Lemonly’s company culture? If you started Lemonly in today’s environment, what would you do differently? How could compani ..read more

Jeff Robbins interviews Arielle Tannenbaum, Community Strategist at Buffer. We discuss creating a vibrant company culture, foundational team values, and community building. Discussion Topics… What skills and work habits do you need when you start working remotely? What Buffer’s company culture is REALLY like How does the onboarding process work at Buffer (i.e. role buddies and culture buddies)? Are distributed companies at an advantage or disadvantage when it comes to building company culture? The importance of foundational team values for distributed companies When should re ..read more

Jeff Robbins interviews Ankur Gupta, CEO at Axelerant. We discuss the value of over-communication and transparency to remote teams and how Axelerant uses a life coach for their employees. Discussion Topics... How do you find people to hire without a central office? How can we encourage more companies to go remote and sustain engagement?” “Remote companies exist with trust as a basis. This trust can only be sustained with high levels of transparency.” - Ankur Gupta What can co-located companies learn from established remote companies about how to go distributed? How do remot ..read more

Jeff Robbins interviews Nacho Rodríguez, CEO at CoworkingC. We discuss coworking spaces, the perks of co-living, and how to stay productive while traveling. Discussion Topics... Digital nomadism and connecting with other remote workers Crossover between remote work and coworking spaces What exactly is a co-living space? How coworking and co-living spaces integrate with one another Addressing productivity issues while being a digital nomad What takeaways, insights, and connections remote workers make at Nomad City (we'll be there this year!) How to travel to far-flung locations as ..read more