Remote work poses a lot of uncertainty that some leaders are simply not willing to work through. The inability to tell where your team is, what they’re doing, and whether they are fully committed to your business are just some of the many worries that go into remote work culture.
Remote work has come to represent many things in the modern era. Most people assume that companies working remotely promote a pants-to-pajamas and suits-to-shirts environment. That working remotely means to contribute to a company in a disorderly, lazy, fashion.
With this all being said, I took on the challenge of starting a company from the ground up that functions remotely, and the results have been nothing short of astonishing.
Being remote doesn’t mean we don’t run a tight ship. In fact, it could not be further from the truth. Prezent is a testament to the fact that you can work optimally from anywhere and come out on top with the right work ethic and passion to do well.
Some look at running a productive team without having to clock in as being a bad thing. I see the magic in it! Instead of chaining ourselves to desks or struggling for space within the confines of a cubicle, we measure success by results.
At Prezent, our team members are able to utilize the valuable time that others spend commuting to their respective job locations, and put it towards delivering, industry-sound, quality workflow.
The ability to stay home and refrain from long commutes, also strengthens a work-life balance, permitting more quality time with family.
According to an excerpt on remote work filed by the Economic Innovation Group, “workers are spending 11.1 percent of their saved commute time on childcare, and 15.5 percent on housework.”
Additionally, “among those living with children, the share spent on childcare rose to 18.2 percent,” which is consistent with trends dating back to pandemic times when parents were working from home.
Prezent realized the value in remote work culture on family dynamics early on, and has many employees rejoicing in the added time they are able to share with their children on a day to day basis. No longer do they find themselves tailoring life around work, but rather they have found the rhythm in harmonizing work with life.
Despite these preferences remote work is not always easy to maneuver. Our team in particular are based in continents all over the world operating in unique time zones. This can definitely be tricky in regards to contacting them and ensuring we’re all on the same page, however practice makes perfect and we have established a healthy medium for effective communication.
The glue that keeps us together as a team is our monthly all-hands calls. In this meeting, each member of our organization is made to feel seen and heard. We recognize the efforts of specific members that have gone above and beyond to achieve excellence and make sure they get the credit they deserve.
Our virtual ‘Wall of Love’ also helps keep track of employees that are executing on our vision consistently and are shown appreciation for doing so.
Core value training sessions have also helped us immensely with ensuring that regardless of where a team member is located, they are aligned with Prezent’s ideals and are completing work in adherence to these guidelines.
We also host several company retreats, bi-annual offsites, and in-person meetups. Hosting these events has assisted us with fostering unity in our remote work conditions and assisting with putting faces to the diligent work produced by all of our team members.
While all of these methods have enabled togetherness in our company, the secret weapon that has kept us moving as a cohesive force is more obvious than you’d think. Trust. The reason being, purpose aligns with trust, so having faith in our team members ensures our vision is met regularly.
We don't clock-watch, we trust. We don’t micromanage, we trust. Our focus is on building a culture where efficiency isn't confined within four walls or conventional office hours but instead blossoms in the comfort of our homes. This trust has empowered our team members to bring forward their best selves and the results are evident in the quality of our work.
Looking ahead, I firmly believe that it’s time for all of us to reassess how we work. Efficiency isn't a place — it's a culture. It’s a mindset. So, I ask you, who else is ready to break the shackles of traditional work routines—and embrace the refreshing and empowering simplicity of remote work?
