Being Part of a Remote Team
Last year, I joined Survaider (now Delightree) as a Full Stack Engineer. I was thrilled to have been given the opportunity to work on their new product from the very start, although I had to do some research and study before I could actually start working on it. I came to the office every day for the next few weeks and got to know everyone in the company.
The Good News
One day, a new policy was introduced by my company.
Everyone in the tech team can now work from home.
It was like a win-win situation for me, having just joined the company and then suddenly had the opportunity to work completely from home. The big advantage for me was that I do not have to travel from my place to the office and get stuck in a ton of traffic. Anyone who got stuck in Bangalore traffic once in a while would have understood that feeling.
Very soon the WFH (work from home) started. Work timings were updated. Meetings in the conference room became online meetings. Talking in person turned into talking on the phone.
So time went by and a month passed without me stepping foot in the office (literally). For a couple of weeks, I’d work from my place in Bangalore, and then the next few days, I’d go back to my hometown in Kerala and work from there. The idea of traveling and working came to my mind during that time. Basically, I could go to Goa for a week and work from there, then from some other place next week.
This was obviously like a dream job for me. But, I haven’t really had a chance (yet) to do the traveling part.
The Unexpected Realization
Over a month had passed since WFH started, and people (including me) began to realize that something was not working out. I figured it’s been a month since the last time I saw my colleagues in person, whom I saw almost every day in the office otherwise. So to fix this, everyone decided to come to the office every Monday, work together, have lunch, share the stuff they did on the weekends. Basically, we could see each other for a day, then go back to WFH for the rest of the week.
This really helped to boost the team’s morale and helped me to really connect with everyone in a better way.
Perks and Shortcomings
Now, let’s look at what the real benefits of a remote job are.
- Flexible schedule
- Save time and money on your daily commute to office
- Work in your preferred environment
- Spend time with your family / friends
In a WFH lifestyle, there are also some challenges one might face.
- Communication
- Work Life balance
- Personal space will become your workspace
- Distractions at home
Getting better at remote work
For me, the first few months of working remotely were the most challenging. With the help and advice of my teammates, and with the lessons of my experience over time, I’ve gotten better at working from home. I became more productive, and I found my place. I started to manage my time better, too.
Remote teams must have a high level of confidence and trust in their team members. It’s really great to be part of such a team here at Delightree that goes beyond (plus extra) to get the job done.
