11/15/2018

Daily Buzz: Making Remote Workforces Work

Being remote shouldn't make workers feel isolated

GitLab, a software company, has 350 employees who all work remotely. The organization made $10.5 million in revenue in 2017. Here’s how they did it.

You’ve heard the conversations about remote workforces: There are many pros and cons, but when it comes down to it, do they work?

Take it from GitLab that a fully remote team can work: The software company made $10.5 million in revenue last year and received a $100 million fund raise in September that landed it a $1 billion valuation—with all 350 employees working from home.

“What we’ve learned from GitLab is that when you have a leadership team that’s as committed to remote-only as they are, and as communicative and transparent as they are, and as insistent on documentation as they are, it can work,” says Dave Munichiello, a general partner at Alphabet’s venture capital arm, GV, which invested in GitLab in 2017, in an interview with Inc.

One of GitLab’s biggest lessons: Although employees might be remote, they should never feel isolated. The team, which is spread across 45 countries, uses video technology and messaging communications to stay connected. Virtual coffee breaks are also built into everyone’s schedules, and senior leaders host open office hours in video chat rooms that are accessible to all workers—measures that were put into place to give employees a greater sense of community.

Please select this link to read the original article from Associations Now.