Remote working: what problems still need to be solved?
What’s still missing from current digital networking tools
Connecting freelancers from around the world, Groove is the first online coworking platform that helps you feel more supported and focused so you can work with purpose. We’re on a mission to help creative workers around the world accomplish remarkable things.
With the major shift to remote work that’s happened in the past year, it’s easy to say there’s been a flurry of new digital businesses and features to meet the needs of connecting people who are no longer sharing the same physical space.
It’s not as easy to say what is still missing from making remote work an enjoyable experience that feels fully enriching.
While many tools have been introduced, there’s still a tendency for trend chasing (hello, Twitter Spaces) instead of responding to fundamental needs through innovative solutions.
At Groove, we find a lot of value from platforms like Zoom and Notion, but as we build our own platform, we also ask ourselves — what’s still missing from current digital networking tools?
This question is more important than ever, given that:
82% of company leaders plan to allow employees to work remotely some of the time.
It is projected that in 2027, 86.5 million people will be freelancing in the United States and will make up 50.9 percent of the total U.S. workforce.
Let’s start with what already exists.
We’re not building… a sales platform
Platforms like LinkedIn, Fiverr and Upwork are platforms and marketplaces that help freelancers find their next projects or job seekers find their next position.
Users can connect with potential employers, set up coffee meetings, pitch themselves for projects and post about open roles.
Lunchclub sets up video calls similar to virtual coffee dates and leads to genuinely enjoyable conversations sparked by a touch of spontaneity and randomness. But after that first meeting, there isn’t much structure in place to facilitate an ongoing relationship.
It’s easier than ever to make these connections and get in front of the right people, but do they lead to actual supportive relationships? How can a platform not only make it easy to meet people, but also help strengthen that connection over time?
We’re not building… a social network
When it comes to building and maintaining your career network, it’s not just LinkedIn anymore, but has extended to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram too.
On social networks, your follower count correlates to your digital clout. They also allow us to connect and passively keep up with many people we wouldn’t have been able to before.
When so much of work life is moving online, where do you go for the intimacy of, say, a watercooler chat?
70% of employees say friends at work is the most crucial element to a happy working life.
The question centers around the need for more connections or connection. One is about scale, the latter is about the strength and intimacy of one interaction.
There are already many existing places on the internet to be an influencer, but not as many for small-scale, high-quality interactions. We’re not trying to build a network of 5,000 connections, but instead ask: how can we make sure your network is there for you in your day to day life?
We’re not building… a place to spend all of your time
Like many companies that saw a pandemic boost, LinkedIn believes the pandemic only accelerated the natural progression toward online networking, remote work and virtual events, which were already in place before lockdowns.
We’ve all heard the adage that we’re not working from home, we’re now living at work.
Zoom and Clubhouse hangouts have quickly been adopted and become a normal part of our lives. With that comes Zoom fatigue as well.
Zoom and Google Meet are great functional platforms for hosting meetings, but they don’t teach us how to host a great meeting. How do we intentionally structure our time so we’re using these platforms to enrich our lives?
After using these tools, we should ask ourselves if we feel better and if they added value to our lives. Are they helping us introduce and develop positive behaviors, rather than just making us dependent on another platform?
What are we building?
While these platforms are all helpful in their own ways, what we still find ourselves asking is:
How can I consciously work with other people online in a way that heightens the quality of my work? How can we build ongoing, truly supportive relationships online?
We need to create a social infrastructure that creates more opportunities for gratifying relationships and far more consistently protects people from loneliness. Our key institutions — e.g., community organizations, health care organizations, workplaces — can embed routine practices that maintain and expand our ties to others.
True community is built around an activity people want to participate in with each other.
A Groove is a 50-minute deep focus session that helps you achieve “flow,” and incorporates elements of connection with others to encourage support and accountability. For us, it’s not about how many hours you spend on Groove, but what is possible for you to achieve while Grooving.
Through Grooving together, users not only get more done, but connect around a shared experience that narrows the digital distance to achieve true online coworking.
It’s easy to get distracted by what’s popular and what others are doing, but we’re keeping focused on the roots of the problems we’re aiming to solve.
Groove is in beta, but if you’d like to join the expanding trial and try a new way to socially work while working alone, send us a message to join our pilot.
