Interview with a remote working expert

Joey Bigornia, Head of Marketing at Remote Staff

Firstly, tell us a little bit about yourself and your work!

I started out as a copywriter at Leo Burnett before becoming the in-house creative head for a food and retail conglomerate. Inexplicably, during the course of my tenure, I was handed the reins of our websites and also tasked to launch our social media efforts. Facebook and Google were still in their infancy at the time, but I saw the potential of digital.

I made the jump from creatives to digital marketing, eventually transitioning from retail to outsourcing, and inevitably switching from office-based work to working remotely.

As you’re in a marketing position you’ll have a great insight into the market as a whole. What trends have you noticed recently?

With easy access and ease of use of creative tools, the marketplace is now chock full of talented content creators.

Coupled with new platforms in streaming and social media, we are seeing attention shift away from traditional media, allowing more new voices to be heard.

What made you take the leap into remote working?

Remote work allowed me to shed the shackles of deferred living, allowing me to pursue my passions now, while I’m still working.

Because of remote work, life no longer needs to be divided into arbitrary phases of work and retirement; I blend the two for fun and profit.

What do you think is the biggest fear companies have about adopting remote working?

Most fears that have to do with people working remotely stem from a lack of trust.

If you run your business with the conviction that everyone’s slacking off, your staff will probably do their best to prove you right.

If you view those who work under you as capable adults who will work hard even when you’re not breathing down their necks, they’ll try their hardest to prove you right as well.

If you’re struggling with trust issues, it just means you made a poor hiring decision. It’s as simple as that.

The bottom line is that you shouldn’t hire people you don’t trust, and your employees shouldn’t work for a boss who doesn’t trust them. If you can’t trust your staff to work remotely, why trust them to do anything at all?

What do you think are the best benefits of remote working?

Through remote work, I was able to create a lifestyle that gives me more freedom and time, making work more enjoyable because it’s not the only thing on the menu. Since I’ve had a taste of this life, no perk or promotion has been able to drag me back to the office.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in this area?

Giving up seeing my colleagues was a bit of a shock in the beginning. Even with Skype or Zoom, there are times when nothing beats talking to the boss in person or sitting in a room with my coworkers, brainstorming the next big thing.

Is there anything you wish you could say about remote working? Or a story you like to tell?

Aside from the obvious benefits around cost and expanded talent pool for employers, as well as the technology enabling remote work, another force fueling the emergence of remote teams is the need to move resources quickly.

Competitive factors are a compelling motivator to find alternative work arrangements so that work processes and procedures can mirror the accelerated rate at which the world now operates.

What advice do you have?

For businesses that employ remote teams, just remember that the quality of work you receive is proportional to the quality of the instructions they receive. Always make sure your instructions clear and concise.

If you’d like to talk to us about making your company more remote-friendly, talk to us!