Remote Success Stories: Alyssa Mazzina, Stack Overflow

From 👋 Remote, this is Remote Success Stories, an interview series exploring successful transitions into remote work in the technology world. Interested in transitioning to remote work? Want to chat with other fellow remote workers? Join our global remote work community at helloremote.life!

Our interview today is with Alyssa Mazzina, a content writer and editor at Stack Overflow.

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m a content writer and editor for Stack Overflow, the world’s largest developer community. But the first job I worked remotely in was at a university.

What appealed to you about beginning to work remotely?

I first started working remotely when I became a mother. It was important to me to spent as much time as possible with my children when they were babies, but my career is also important to me. Remote work seemed like the obvious answer. At the time I had been with my company for nearly a decade, and remote work was not a standard practice.

How did you first approach the subject with your employer? Had other employees been working remotely before you?

When I returned from maternity leave, I negotiated a half-time schedule. When my employer needed me back full-time, I was in a position where they needed my expertise and I was able to negotiate a partially remote schedule: 3 days in the office, 2 from home. It was unusual in my company; I knew of nobody else who worked remotely. But the nature of my job (writing and editing) made it an effortless fit; there was no reason I needed to be physically in an office every day.

What surprising things have you discovered about working remotely?

I was originally surprised at how easy it was! There’s a stereotype that you’ll spend all day in your pajamas watching TV. But I set up a desk in a dedicated space and I’m able to sit there and work without getting distracted, as I had feared I might. That said, when my kids were small and home more, I definitely had some crazy moments like chasing a toddler while on a conference call! But overall, I was surprised at how much I loved it, and that any stress factors associated with working at home were far outweighed by the benefits.

Have there been any downsides to beginning to work remotely?

In that first job, yes. I was the only remote worker and it created some resentment with a few coworkers who wanted the same arrangement and weren’t able to negotiate it. And when we got a new VP, she immediately revoked my right to work from home. That was an enormous strain on my life, to suddenly have to be in the office 40 hours a week, to pay for twice the childcare I was used to, and to be away from my kids so much for the first time. So that unpredictability was a downside; but I left that job and found one that lets me work full-time from home, fully remote, on a remote team. I suppose the only downside now is that I don’t get to eat the chef-prepared lunches that are served in Stack Overflow’s New York office!

Are there any tools or software that you’ve found particularly effective?

We use Slack and Google Drive every day to chat and collaborate. Trello is also a vital tool for our team. There’s so much that’s done in the cloud, on web apps, that it’s really very easy. Much of the technology we have today is made with remote work in mind.

My company also provides a full home-office setup: standing desk, Aeron chair, electronic equipment, whatever we need. This is one of the perks of working for a remote-first company (versus being the first one on your team to go remote). The company knows what you need and goes out of its way to support you. In my old job, it was the opposite: every day I felt like I was asking for a favor by working from home. A remote-first company never feels that way.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I’m very passionate about the remote work movement. It’s allowed me to build a career that fits my life, especially as a mother with many priorities. I’m grateful that the university I started my career with was willing to take a chance on remote work, even for just a few years. In truth, I’m grateful they took it away, too, or I may never have left to find a truly remote team. I blog about remote work often: https://stackoverflow.blog/tags/remote-work/

Alyssa Mazzina is a content writer at Stack Overflow and the founder of AMazzina LLC Content Consultancy. Follow her on Twitter.