By Kathleen Herrmann Might 12, 2022

AWeber is all-in on remote-first. Be taught why we’re not going again to the workplace.

We’re AWeber – a mighty crew of 89 remote-first crew members that span three time zones, two nations, and 15 states; all working collectively to assist small companies and entrepreneurs develop by forming significant connections with their audiences.

At this level, I’m certain everyone knows somebody who’s returned to the workplace.

Returned to waking up earlier, combating visitors throughout every day commutes, sporting pants…

And why? 

What productiveness was misplaced working remotely? 

After all, there are SOME advantages to assembly in individual (we plan on doing company-wide retreats in spite of everything!), however for us the advantages of staying remote-first far outweighed being in individual. Right here’s why we’re not returning to the workplace.

We’re more practical remote-first.

We’re now extra diligent about creating discoverable documentation that anybody, in any time zone, at any level in our firm’s historical past can entry. A give attention to documentation and asynchronous communication permits us to simply uncover outcomes from earlier tasks and make educated enterprise choices primarily based on these learnings.

We now not default to in-person conferences, however as a substitute give attention to creating clear documentation that permits for suggestions and collaboration from anybody throughout the corporate. This permits us to prune again a lot of these pointless conferences that used to refill our calendars. Or if we do have to fulfill, we’re now extra environment friendly and efficient with how we spend our time collectively.

Hybrid doesn’t work.

Numerous firms are transferring to a hybrid mannequin – it’s the most effective of each worlds proper? Improper!

Hybrid fashions add extra confusion to every day workflows. As a substitute of everybody working the identical method, you now need to cope with ineffective conferences (suppose: 10 folks crammed right into a convention room with poor audio high quality and unhealthy digital camera angles) and relationships constructed primarily based on proximity, all that places distant crew members at an obstacle. 

As a substitute, we’re in favor of all working the identical method. All of us have our personal video/audio setups that enable for optimum (and clear!) conversations. All of us talk the identical method – with a bias for being asynchronous and closely documented. All of us have the chance to type relationships the identical method – nobody is lacking out because of their work location. 

Higher work / life stability.

We now have extra flexibility in our every day lives. 

We achieve again an additional 1-2 hours per day that was spent commuting and have now changed that with spending time with our households, working errands, or heading exterior to get some contemporary air whereas it’s nonetheless gentle out. We have now extra alternative over how we spend our time. Oh, and I can’t neglect to say the fee financial savings of not having to commute – taking a look at you, $5/gal gasoline costs.

We even have extra flexibility over our every day work schedules. We’ve all the time been versatile at AWeber, however being remote-first means fewer synchronous conferences and subsequently extra freedom to find out how we spend our time.

There’s additionally extra flexibility in the place we work. I personally love to increase my keep at a brand new location – heading out a day or two early to settle in, work throughout the day and benefit from the nightlife of a brand new metropolis after work. Don’t simply take my phrase for it – take a look at my coworker’s weblog about doing simply that – TheBusyTraveler.com.

Rent the most effective expertise.

We’re now not restricted in who we rent. We used to rent the most effective folks within the Philadelphia space, however now we rent the most effective crew members from world wide. We’re ready to select from an excellent better choice of extremely specialised, numerous, passionate, and entrepreneurial expertise to permit us to provide you with inventive options to the robust issues we remedy every day. 

Dedicated to bettering.

We’re nonetheless making an attempt to determine the correct mix of distant occasions and in-person gatherings so we will type deeper connections with one another. Being remote-first signifies that our work schedules range, which may additionally imply that it’s tougher to prioritize your crew’s digital blissful hour or attend that sport evening when you’ve gotten cute kiddos and drooling canine staring you down, ready for his or her nightly stroll.

We’re nonetheless engaged on that “excellent” components, however we’re centered on making an attempt new issues from digital vacation events to strolling challenges and we’re devoted to evolving our remote-first identification.

So are we heading again to the workplace?

No, we’re not. And we’re excited to see what the longer term has in retailer for our remote-first firm!

P.S. Are you already again on the workplace or dreading the day that you simply’ll inevitably need to return? Apply right this moment to grow to be our subsequent remote-first AWeber crew member!