Remote Teams- Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind

Being an OSS company, Appwrite shares almost everything with its community; transparency is both a value and a mindset for us.
“If sharing is caring,” we thought, “let’s share as much as possible,” and started our Thought Leadership project, where we share the thoughts and findings from different aspects of our work.

What is Fully Remote?

Like more and more companies these days, we have no office space. None of our employees from 11 different countries meet daily. We are not temporarily remote, and we do not plan to change since Appwrite wants to be a company where location is a non-issue. This is why our 22 employees work from home.

So What’s the Big Deal?

As Appwrite’s Head of Remote Projects, I study remote culture, workflows, and communication to better them at Appwrite. As May, the individual, I experience remote work for the first time, and it’s not always easy for me. I needed tips on how to get by, and who better than my own team to give them?

1. Setting Boundaries is Hard ✋
When you work in an office space, it’s easy to say “I’m at work” when entering and “I’m off work” when you leave, but things aren’t as black and white at home.
Working remotely means working from your computer/mobile and not caring about any specific location. This leads to the question- “When am I even off the clock? There isn’t even a clock!”

Our Tips

• If possible, have a workroom. Enter it in the morning and leave it for breaks and when your workday is over. Keep the door closed afterward to support the illusion of having an office space that isn’t home.
• Close your computer at the end of the day and turn off notifications. If possible, avoid using the same computer for Netflix, etc.
• If you’re off- do not respond. It’s okay for people to @ you at different time zones, but it is up to you to decide when to respond. Learning to accept others’ time off is a must in a Global remote setting.

2. It Gets Lonely 🫂
Communal office spaces are not for everyone, and working alone from home might be difficult for some. This is especially true if you used to work a full-time office job and are used to seeing dozens of people each day.

Our Tips

• Have a pet (We call them Appwrite’s’ mascots- our furry/feathery pets).
• Have casual, non-work-related chats on Discord/ Slack.
• Invite friends and co-workers to have a zoom lunch.
• Head out at least once a day. It helps with perspective and feeling less cooped up.

3. Fighting Burnout Starts Sooner 🧯
Eating at your desk, not taking breaks, or not changing out of PJs in the morning makes hours and days feel long and repetitive.
It is harder to connect to the shared purpose of your team when it is away, and the lack of separation between work life and life-life isn’t productive for your creativity.

Our Tips

• Try to work every day on something a little bit different than the day before. Gather your daily tasks in a way that creates a theme for your day.
• Zoom fatigue is real- Using a camera is not mandatory on calls.
• Use the flexibility you are provided with to build the workday that suits you. Separate the day in two to take a nap or pick up the kids, start later to do morning yoga, etc.

4. Focus Time is Elusive 🧘
Wanting to stay connected and available at all times is understandable when you cannot count on hallway talks to mingle with your co-workers, but it bites into your focus time and makes you multitask when you should mono-task.

Our Tips

• Block your schedule for focus time, announce it on Discord/Slack and turn off notifications temporarily.
• Have straightforward, digestible tasks before you start working. A massive task with multiple subtasks and unclear reasoning will make you scattered.

Remote work has its advantages and disadvantages, just like anything else, but it might seem daunting at first since it is less familiar to us.
The tips we found are not bulletproof but as a team of about 50% remote-first-timers, locating the possible pain points is a crucial first step. The second is solving the problem as a team! Work with your team on communicating their needs, consult your teammates on how they find joy and satisfaction during their day. You might be the one to find the million-dollar tip!

Learn More About Appwrite
Appwrite is an open-source Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS), packaged as a set of Docker microservices, to give developers of any background the tools necessary to build modern apps quickly and securely.
Appwrite Github