I recently joined a distributed company and have been reflecting on how it compares with the more “traditional” on-site work environment. Here are some of my thoughts a couple months in.
Note: while Abstract does have an office/HQ in San Francisco, the vast majority of employees are distributed elsewhere across the US. I’m based in SF but have only worked from the office a few times since joining so I’m primarily “remote”.
We Recruit Anywhere 🌎 (in 🇺🇸)
Being distributed means we can hire people quite literally anywhere (whereas Bay Area companies can usually only attract people who want to live here). This means we’re competing for talent with either (1) other distributed companies or (2) local opportunities where people live. We’re not really competing with Google for an amazing engineer who lives in South Carolina if that engineer wants to keep living in South Carolina.
No Conference Rooms 💻 > 🏢
As a PM, I’ve spent countless hours at past companies negotiating conference rooms and trying to find a space that can hold anywhere from 2 to 20 people for meetings, design reviews, etc. At Abstract, all the meetings take place over Zoom calls so we have an infinitely scalable “conference room” for every single meeting, one click away. Also, since everyone gets to dial in from anywhere for each meeting, you’re never stuck in a room with squeaky chairs or sitting too far from the monitor to read the slide. Everyone is a first-class citizen dialing in from somewhere comfortable. Life without conference rooms is a game changer.
Less Distractions, More Focus 🔬
Office life was very distracting to me. This is doubly true when you really like your coworkers and they’re talking about interesting things that are completely unrelated to work — as social animals we want to participate and chime in! At Abstract, all the meetings happen on my laptop so the default state between calls is unstructured quiet time. I can focus more and think strategically about my work. Nobody taps on my shoulder or hovers by my desk waiting for me to acknowledge them. There are no casual conversations in the kitchen. Calls are planned & focused. We respect each other’s time so any gaps b/w meetings are 100% mine.
Different Weathers ⛈
When you work in an office environment, everyone contends with the same weather. At Abstract I have coworkers simultaneously preparing for snowpocalypse in the Northwest, dealing with the polar vortex in the midwest, and going to the beach in San Diego or having BBQ outside in Austin. When coworkers are experiencing completely different weather, it forces an extra level of empathy for one another. We never assume that another person’s weather (and often correlating mood) are the same as our own.
Asynchronous Communication 🗣
In an office environment, the default was always to “get people in a room” to talk about something important. At Abstract we’re often in different timezones so we will communicate asynchronously and only hop on calls when there’s something that needs to be discussed synchronously. This requires more docs and room to respond on our own time, opening up participation to a broader group while reducing meeting attendance. Our communication tools include Dropbox Paper, Slack, and of course Abstract.
In Person is Rare 💎
When you work at an office, you see your coworkers in person every day. For me, when something happens every day, it becomes less special. At Abstract we’re obviously not together in person frequently. The company recognizes this as an opportunity and organizes a week-long get together for the whole team twice a year called “Team Week”. My first one will be this March in San Antonio and I’m excited to meet all these people I’ve been working with but have never actually met.
Errands and Chores 🧺
I used to struggle to find time to do laundry, exercise, empty the dishwasher, get groceries, etc. Working at a distributed company allows you to get all of your personal errands and household chores done throughout the day; everyone has the same opportunity to do these things so there’s no resentment amongst coworkers (most office cultures hold it back against someone if they leave at 2pm every day to pick up their kids). I don’t have kids yet but for my colleagues who do have kids, the flexibility to drop kids off at school and pick them up without having to “ask for permission” is a massive relief. As long as you get your work done, you have as much flexibility of schedule as you need.
Decide What to Eat 🍳
Free food in offices is a great perk, but I’ve been surprisingly enjoying the freedom that comes from never having lunch figured out for me. It’s empowering to have to pick my own meals. I’ve also been cooking more, which forces me to take more breaks and gives me more connection with my meals.
Time With George 🐶
When my wife and I both worked at an office, our dog would be home alone for 7+ hours per day. It was pretty heartbreaking for us that he didn’t have anyone to hang out with (we could hire a dog walker but in SF these are easily $30/30-min walk which is just a lot). Since joining Abstract, I’ve been spending a ton of time with him and I can take him out for walks anytime. It’s great for my mental health and has made working from home even better.
If you’re interested in Abstract, I encourage you to take a look at our Careers page and openings! We’re hiring across product, design, engineering, marketing, and sales.
If you learned something in this post or found it valuable, feel free to share with your friends! If you have any comments, I’d love to hear from you on Twitter here 🙏
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