Remote by default (BACON 2014)

This is a talk from BACON 2014 in London, where I spoke about how GitHub makes working remotely not suck.

At GitHub, approximately 75% of our 245 employees work remotely, regularly covering over 100 cities around the world at any one time. Making this work for everyone isn’t easy, but it’s definitely achievable, and with the right approach can become one of your company’s greatest strengths. This talk aims to share insights into how you too can reap the benefits of embracing remote work, while ensuring it stays awesome for everybody involved.

Transcript

1. Remote By Default ! cobyism — BACON 2014 } {
2. @cobyism
7. EGGS
8. WALKIES‽
9. EGGS MY HOUSE
11. EGGS
13. This is awesome.
14. This is convenient.
15. This is asynchronous.
16. This is cost-effective.
17. This makes my dog happier.
18. This helps my neighbours.
19. This makes me feel trusted.
20. TRUST is the key
21. This is awesome.
22. Remote is awesome.
23. Remote by default.
24. Remote by default.
25. Remote by default.
26. Remote by default. (the hard part)
27. Remote should be first-class.
28. It means a shift in thinking.
29. It means a shift in behaviour.
30. You have to commit.
31. Why is remote even desirable?
32. You can offer flexibility.
33. You can offer autonomy.
34. You can offer trust.
35. You can be sought after.
36. You can hire the best people anywhere.
37. You will be more diverse.
38. You can innovate better.
39. You can win at business.
40. Working with great people is awesome.
41. Remote isn’t for everyone.
42. Remote is the future. Remote
43. at GitHub. Remote
44. SYNC ASYNC
45. INFORMAL FORMAL SYNC ASYNC
46. INFORMAL FORMAL SYNC ASYNC
47. Chat
53. #ChatOps
54. Put tools into the conversation.
55. Chat is a mix of formal & informal
56. Team
57. Updates
58. Ships
59. Ideas
60. Team is a mix of formal & informal
61. GitHub.com
62. github / ! github
63. github support! ops! windows! government! github! mac! training education! community / ! github
64. github / ! …
65. github fithubber! meditation! beerhub! cycling! beer30! feedback! inc! diaries! projects / ! beer30
66. github toasts / !
67. Toasts
68. Toasts
69. Email
70. Interal docs
71. FaceTime
72. FaceTime LOLNOPE
73. Face time
74. Onboarding
75. Summits
76. Product Minisummits
77. Team Minisummits
78. Video chat
79. Beer:30
80. Talks
81. It’s not the tools, it’s how they’re used.
82. Don’t shortcut your communications.
83. Remote isn’t just for remote people.
84. Think about who isn’t in the room.
85. Try asynchronous channels first.
86. Everything should have an URL.
87. Open up your creative process.
88. Show humanity in your words.
89. Asynchronous != always available.
90. Be patient.
91. Fight the urge to be a cargo cult. (nope, not even from us)
92. Tackle things from first principles.
93. Presume you have blind spots.
94. It’s not all ☀️
95. Iteration, as always is the key.
96. What works changes over time.
97. Thanks! coby@github.com @cobyism