Remote Work Q&A, Part 1

Earlier this week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson held a live Q&A about remote work. We're splitting the session into two episodes. Part 1 covers questions about video calls, brainstorming, setting priorities, and good management during a time of stressful transition. If you'd like to watch the Q&A session in its entirety, you can do that on Periscope. You can also check out Basecamp's Guide to Internal Communication.

Show Notes

Jason and David's book, REMOTE: Office Not Required - 00:55

The full session on Periscope - 1:00

Question 1: In a workplace with a mix of local and remote workers, what are some good strategies for making the remote workers feel more connected and not left out of office events? - 8:12

Basecamp's Automatic Check-ins feature - 9:25

Question 2: How do you qualify employees and gain trust if you don’t meet in person? - 14:14

Question 3: How do you handle the transition in a company that hasn't been very remote until now and can't make a quick switch to writing more? - 18:30

A Guide to Managing Remote Teams by Claire Lew, CEO of Know Your Team - 19:40

Question 4: How do you handle video meetings with more than 20 people? - 23:44

"Is group chat making you sweat?" (Signal v. Noise) - 30:00

Question 5: How do you prioritize tasks? What's your productivity system or non-system? - 30:14

Shape Up, Basecamp's book about product development - 30:50

Question 6: Do you believe any developer/designer/product manager can work remotely? - 36:09

Question 7: How would you host a brainstorming meeting? - 38:17

Question 8: How do you properly handle large layoffs of more than 10 people? - 40:51

"Stanley's Abruptly Closes After 52 Years of Selling Affordable Produce, Longtime Workers Caught Off Guard" (Block Club Chicago) - 44:30

Question 9: What are the key things I can do as a manager of a small team to make remote working a great experience within my team, even if our company culture is still catching up after being forced to go full remote? - 46:02