Michael DeCesare is the President at Abnormal AI a leader in AI-native human behavior security.
Since we began transitioning out of the pandemic, there’s been an ongoing debate between corporate employees and employers surrounding remote versus hybrid versus in-person work. But more recently, a surprising number of tech companies are making a concerted effort to bring employees back into the office.
Amazon and AT&T (paywall) both mandated a return to five days per week starting this year, and countless others are requiring employees to come in most days, including Salesforce, Google (paywall), Dell (paywall), Meta (paywall) and even Zoom—the company synonymous with remote working.
The arguments in favor of this shift are usually about upholding collaboration, culture and productivity. Many business leaders believe physical proximity fosters innovation and that in-person interactions are irreplaceable. A lot of them are also concerned about reduced accountability and what that means for achieving company OKRs. But I think many of these are misconceptions, possibly born from poor implementation of remote work practices rather than an inherent flaw in the model itself.
In fact, studies have shown higher rates of productivity and job satisfaction in remote working environments. And if the data isn’t proof enough, just look at today’s biggest market disruptors, such as Airbnb, Atlassian, Hubspot, Okta, Stripe and Zillow. These are just a few of the biggest names in tech that are still remote-friendly.
We’re all familiar with the benefits of remote work, including getting time back by eliminating commutes, access to more talent, increased employee satisfaction and retention, reduced overhead costs and a reduced carbon footprint. The list goes on.
But the bigger question remains: How can companies optimize performance in a remote working environment? As someone who has led remote-friendly and hybrid software companies over the last several years, I’ve seen what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to enabling a remote-first business. Here are my tips.
Hire for longevity.
Creating an effective remote-first company requires a remote-first culture fit, especially in fast-growth companies. Companies need to hire employees who think long term—those who are willing to invest time in building relationships, learning how to collaborate remotely and adapting to new ways of working. People who frequently jump between roles may struggle in a remote environment, as they might not take the necessary time to integrate and overcome challenges. Longevity in past roles can be a strong indicator of someone’s ability to adapt and grow within your organization.
Require all on video, all the time.
Communication is the backbone of any remote team, and although apps like Slack and Teams can facilitate asynchronous collaboration, simply having these tools (or only using their messaging functionality) isn’t enough. It’s constant visual connections that have the biggest impact on communication in a remote environment.
I’m a firm believer that having cameras on during meetings is non-negotiable, whether it’s a one-on-one, a team check-in or an all-hands event. It’s one of the easiest ways to build stronger relationships, enhance collaboration and prevent distractions during meetings.
Leverage remote work to boost productivity.
Many people believe that remote work harms productivity, but I believe it’s quite the opposite. One of the biggest advantages of remote work is how much more you can get done. Without commutes or travel, employees can engage in far more meetings and collaborations across time zones, dramatically increasing productivity.
A sales leader, for example, might be limited to 100 in-person customer meetings per year—but with remote work, that same person could conduct 500 virtual meetings, strengthening more relationships in less time. The best companies recognize this advantage and leverage remote-first work to accelerate execution and maximize their impact.
Meet in person when it matters.
Although I don’t believe that face-to-face time is required for all types of collaboration, there are some interactions that matter more than others, like onboarding, strategy sessions and team-building events. Instead of spending on costly office real estate that serves only a handful of employees at a time, companies should focus on providing employees with high-quality home office setups and then investing in dedicated spaces that allow teams to come together for those key moments.
For example, at Abnormal, we recently opened a training and sales enablement facility where we send every new go-to-market hire during their first few weeks. It’s an intensive training boot camp, but it’s also an opportunity to energize new employees, spark inspiration and foster connections among colleagues.
Plus, we encourage regular meet-ups for our teams. The entire sales organization gets together annually for a kickoff to our fiscal year, and other teams are encouraged to meet at least once a year to discuss strategy, implement new programs and have fun getting to know one another outside of the computer screen.
Foster a strong company culture.
One common concern about remote work is the potential erosion of company culture, but culture-building doesn’t have to be in person to be effective. What’s important is having a well-defined mission that can motivate employees around their purpose at the company, with a core set of values that’s consistently communicated, exemplified and rewarded. It’s about giving your employees a north star that can inspire and guide them through an operating framework at work.
With that foundation, there are then countless ways to bring that culture to life—whether it’s through one-to-one check-ins, town halls or virtual team hangs or by providing training and resources. My favorite way to do this is by inviting a customer to speak at each company all-hands meeting. Hearing from them about how Abnormal is helping keep their people safe is inspiring and keeps us focused on why we do what we do.
No matter what leadership teams prefer, remote work isn’t just a passing trend—it’s a powerful movement shaping the future of how we work. The majority of today’s fastest-growing and most successful tech companies are remote-friendly, and I don’t see this changing anytime soon.
Organizations that embrace remote work—and take the time to do it well—will be better positioned to thrive in their markets with a workforce that’s more effective, engaged and empowered to succeed.
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