Remote Q&A: Lance Robbins of Distribute Consulting
This week, we had the pleasure of interviewing Lance Robbins, a member of Remote Wing and the Remote Talent Acquisition Consultant for Distribute Consulting.
Lance and Laurel Ferrer, Founder of Distribute and the Remote Work Association, were both a huge help in offering valuable insight about the state of remote work — especially in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, work-from-home chaos and workplace concerns.
Let’s jump right in!
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Q: Besides the “obvious” benefits, why do you think this generation of young professionals is so drawn to remote work?
A: Remote work has a romanticized appeal, working from the beach, travel, digital nomad lifestyle and getting to work with your dog. The reality is that these aren’t the norm for the vast majority of remote workers, even the youngest generation of them, well except for the dog part maybe.
While the world traveling tech worker is a real thing, there’s still a significant draw for countless other professionals to join the ranks of the remote. Here’s what we’re seeing at the root of the remote work revolution.
- A culture of trust. Who doesn’t want to work for an employer that builds their entire organizational structure and operations in a way that explicitly says, “I trust you.”? Remote teams thrive on trust, and being a part of that is a really special experience that many employees long for. Employers who believe they’ve hired smart and capable people, and trust them to deliver great results without watching over their shoulder are leading the way in the remote world.
- Flexibility. This comes pretty close to the obvious, but it’s worth saying out loud. Not having to choose between your job and your life is at the core of this. Remote companies typically offer a level of flexibility that co-located ones just aren’t able to match. Need to walk your dog twice a day? Dentist appointment at 2:00 PM? Visiting your relatives in Milwaukee? No problem. Flexible scheduling goes a long way to relieving stress and supporting employees.
- Something bigger. We all want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. The best companies capture this and inspire employees and customers to rally around it (REI’s #optoutside campaign for example). Remote work provides a platform where everyone in the remote community can do the same.
Remote work is a driving force for positive change in many ways:
- Environmental — No commutes, reduced business travel, no newly constructed office being heated or cooled. All make a significant impact on our carbon footprint.
- Traffic Congestion — Major cities are often gridlocked due to traffic. State and local governments have often looked to telecommuting as a solution.
- Social Infrastructure — The social fabric of societies are built on relationships. Remote work allows for significant time reinvestment in family relationships, which impacts a host of categories including incarceration rates, education levels, poverty, and mental well-being.
- Leveling the playing field — Remote work is in the driver’s seat when it comes to distributing economic opportunities around the world.
- Public Health — How can we practice social distancing without remote work?
Q: What do you think is the biggest benefit for remote-first companies?
A: If you would have asked me this question 2 weeks ago, I might have said something about access to diverse talent, streamlined operations, or broader market places. Today, in light of a global health crisis, my answer is that remote-first companies are uniquely positioned to thrive in circumstances that would otherwise cripple a location-dependent organization.
When employees can’t come to the office because of quarantine, or team members unexpectedly have their children or family members sharing their home office, a remote-first company doesn’t have to make unprecedented adjustments.
When clients are struggling to adapt to a new work from home arrangement, remote-first companies can be a resource and guide to help them navigate new territory. This is a big opportunity for strengthening client relationships and fostering economic continuity.
A virtual workplace is flexible, adaptable and resilient to physical challenges.
Q: Where do you think remote-first companies fail their employees, where they may actually think they’re succeeding?
A: Employee Experience. While remote working opens the door to a lot of benefits that a physical office just can’t provide, there is a dark side that employers can’t ignore. Leaders should be careful not to feel that providing a remote opportunity and flexibility necessarily equates to a positive experience.
For a lot of people, the workplace constitutes the vast majority of social opportunities. When the workplace is remote, social isolation can have a serious impact.
I once worked with an early adopter of remote work who, after 15 years of it, abandoned working from home due to the strains of social isolation on her mental health. Remote-first employers should pay special attention to employees’ life events that would traditionally be buoyed by a community of friends and family.
- Moving to a new area
- Death of a loved one
- Loss of a relationship
- New hires starting their new remote job
Make sure that you’re fostering a culture of safety and communication. Pay attention to what your employees are saying (or not saying) and find ways to create a connection, even if it is a virtual one.
Q: How can remote-first companies better support the health (mental, emotional, physical) of their employees?
A: The companies that are doing this the best are thinking about this from the outset. it’s not an afterthought. So, if a company is seeing this as a problem, it’s worth taking some time to look at it in a holistic, strategic fashion, not just reactively.
Sometimes leaders see dollar signs when they realize how much operational spend that going remote will eliminate. What some fail to do is realize how important it is to reinvest that into the people that make up the company.
Some companies do this exceptionally well. X-Team, for example, has built tremendous support for X-Teamers’ whole health. Starting with access to an annual $2,500 Unleash fund for just about anything that contributes to the health or happiness of team members. In addition, they’ve created a proprietary gamified experience to encourage and celebrate learning, growth, activity, and connection. Beyond that, they also coordinate X-Team Hacker Houses for team members to co-work and co-live in some of the most scenic and exciting places on earth.
Intentionality is key, whether that’s organizing regional or team-wide on sites, creating slack channels for hobbies, funding 1:1 meetings, or forays to the coffee shop. Employers should take the reins and make sure this happens, not just hope for the best.
Q: In your opinion, is the remote workforce in a healthy/good place right now? How can we improve?
A: Up until only a couple of weeks ago, there has been a huge mismatch between the number of remote job opportunities and number of people who want to work remotely. I hear from people almost daily about their difficult attempts to break into the remote job market.
Everything has changed, nearly overnight.
Wanting to work from home, and being prepared to do it successfully are two different things.
There’s a massive influx of employees entering the remote work scene as I write this. Most with no training or experience.
In order for this to go as positively as possible, it’s really important for us to share as much information as we can. If you know someone setting up to work remotely for the first time, check-in to see how they’re doing, chances are you’ll know a hack or two that will help them out early on.
Beyond being a good neighbor, consider how you can support the open-source #keeptheworldworking initiative of the Remote Work Association.
Now is the time for those who have been fortunate enough to enjoy the privilege of remote work to rally around those just beginning their journey under very difficult circumstances.
The global workforce needs the help of the remote work community now more than ever.
About Lance
Lance Robbins has more than 10 years of operational leadership focused on workforce scaling and growth. Lance has also served as a talent acquisition contractor and advisor to global remote tech organizations. Lance’s commitment to the remote work community is based on his belief that creating virtual work opportunities is the catalyst to realizing its power for positive change. Lance lives in rural NW Geogia, USA with his wife, and 3 children.
