Over the last 12 months, my tweets on remote work have had 80,000,000+ impressions
Here are my learnings, predictions & advice
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https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📚" title="Bücher" aria-label="Emoji: Bücher"> The 21 most important lessons talking to 2,500 companies in the last 12 months taught me
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https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🏢" title="Bürogebäude" aria-label="Emoji: Bürogebäude"> HQ’s are finished: companies will cut their commercial office space by 50-70%
The will allow every worker to work from home 2-4 days a week, and come into the office 1-2 days a week
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌍" title="Europa-Afrika auf dem Globus" aria-label="Emoji: Europa-Afrika auf dem Globus"> Fully distributed: ~30% of the companies we talk to are getting rid of the office entirely and going remote-first
Companies doing this have seen their workers decentralize rapidly, leaving expensive cities to be closer to family
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⭐️" title="Mittelgroßer Stern" aria-label="Emoji: Mittelgroßer Stern"> Access talent: The first reason they are going remote-first is simple – it lets them hire more talented people
Rather than hiring the best person in a 30-mile radius of the office, they can hire the best person in the world for every role
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💰" title="Geldsack" aria-label="Emoji: Geldsack"> Cut costs: The second reason they are going remote-first is because it lets them be far more cost-efficient
Rather than spending $20,000 / worker / year on office space they can provide the best remote setup on the planet for $2,000 / worker / year
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📈" title="Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend" aria-label="Emoji: Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend"> Remote burnout: The productivity inside the companies we’ve spoken to has gone through the roof
Their biggest concern is that workers burnout because they are working too hard
They are actively exploring ways to combat this
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✈️" title="Flugzeug" aria-label="Emoji: Flugzeug"> Remote onsites: 60%+ of companies we talk to are already thinking about ways to use time together physically to improve culture
The most popular we hear is flying the team into remote locations for ~week. Portugal, Spain, Puerto Rico seem to be the most popular
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💃" title="Tanzende Frau" aria-label="Emoji: Tanzende Frau"> Personal choice: the smartest people I know personally are all planning to work remotely this decade
The most exciting companies I know personally all plan to hire remotely this decade
~90% of the workforces we’ve spoken to never want to be in an office again full-time
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚨" title="Polizeiautos mit drehendem Licht" aria-label="Emoji: Polizeiautos mit drehendem Licht"> Async by default: is the thing that organizations are struggling with most
The majority of companies have replicated the office remotely and it is causing strains that are beginning to show
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤕" title="Gesicht mit Kopfbandage" aria-label="Emoji: Gesicht mit Kopfbandage"> Personal injury: These are exploding. Companies haven’t moved quickly enough to prevent them and back, neck and repetitive strain injuries are becoming a huge problem
Expect this to remedy this quickly by providing better, ergonomic equipment to workers
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌐" title="Weltkugel mit Längengraden" aria-label="Emoji: Weltkugel mit Längengraden"> Universal problems: doesn’t matter the size of the organization, every company is dealing with the same thing
We spoke to early-stage companies, publicly listed tech companies, through to legacy incumbents with hundreds of thousands of employees
All will be more remote
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🏭" title="Fabrik" aria-label="Emoji: Fabrik"> Pollution reduction: many companies we’ve spoken to care massively about the environmental impact that eradicating the office – and the commute – will have
108 million tons of Co2 less every year
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz"> Quality of life: even more importantly companies are realizing that they don’t need to expect workers to waste 2 hours a day commuting to sit in an office chair for 8 hour
Almost every company we talk to believes that their workers will be happier as a result of remote work
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😨" title="Angstvolles Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Angstvolles Gesicht"> Remote pressure: a few companies we’ve spoken to have decided to be more remote than they initially intended because their competitors already did it
There is a fear inside companies that if they don’t go remote they will lose their best people to their competitors
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👻" title="Geist" aria-label="Emoji: Geist"> Remote fear: most companies aren’t scared about the quality of work that will be produced
They are scared about intangible things they can’t measure
‘quality of communication’ && ‘collaboration in person’ && ‘water cooler chat’
Many have realized these were excuses
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚀" title="Rakete" aria-label="Emoji: Rakete"> Output over time: the measure of performance in the office is how much time you spend sat in your seat
The measure of performance while working remotely has to become output. Tools that enable this to be tracked more accurately are something we are asked for a lot
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✍️" title="Schreibende Hand" aria-label="Emoji: Schreibende Hand"> Written over spoken: documentation is the unspoken superpower of remote teams. The most successful team members remotely will be great writers
Companies are searching for ways to do this more effectively. Tools that enable others to write better will explode
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👨🏫" title="Man teacher" aria-label="Emoji: Man teacher"> Flattened orgs: middle management is in trouble, an unnecessary bottlenecks which serve no tangible purpose inside async organizations
Companies need coaching and facilitators to maximize organizational effectiveness
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎟" title="Eintrittskarte" aria-label="Emoji: Eintrittskarte"> Company Resorts: Several companies are thinking about creating resort like compounds where work happens in person
Expect these to be built in incredible locations and focussed on providing the best on-site experience possible
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👩⚖️" title="Richterin" aria-label="Emoji: Richterin"> Remote Laws: Many companies are beginning to operate under the assumption that the choice to work remotely will become a legal right
This will give workers the option to choose where they work, and many companies are acting before they are forced
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🛑" title="Stoppzeichen" aria-label="Emoji: Stoppzeichen"> Meeting Death: Wasting 2 hours traveling to a meeting will end. The benefits of in-person are eroded by the benefits of not traveling
Conferences and quarterly networking events will become more important for cultivating in-person relationships
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎳" title="Bowling" aria-label="Emoji: Bowling"> Internal community: Team cohesion and company culture isn’t impossible remotely – but it’s very different
In the same way companies are finally realizing the power of community externally – internal community may become even more important to a companies success
Why are so many companies talking to me?
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http://FirstbaseHQ.com
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔮" title="Kristallkugel" aria-label="Emoji: Kristallkugel"> The 2030’s will be remembered as the remote work decade
20 predictions on what is likely to emerge
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https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚜" title="Traktor" aria-label="Emoji: Traktor"> Rural Living: World-class people will move to smaller cities, have a lower cost of living & higher quality of life
These regions must innovate quickly to attract that wealth. Better schools, faster internet connections are a must
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⚽️" title="Fußball" aria-label="Emoji: Fußball"> Hobbie Renaissance: Remote working will lead to a rise in people participating in hobbies and activities which link them to people in their local community
This will lead to deeper, more meaningful relationships which overcome societal issues of loneliness and issolation
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌍" title="Europa-Afrika auf dem Globus" aria-label="Emoji: Europa-Afrika auf dem Globus"> Diversity & Inclusion: The most diverse and inclusive teams in history will emerge rapidly
Companies who embrace it have a first-mover advantage to attract great talent globally. Companies who don&
#39;t will lose their best people to their biggest competitors
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✅" title="Fettes weißes Häkchen" aria-label="Emoji: Fettes weißes Häkchen"> Output focus: time will be replaced as the main KPI for judging performance by productivity and output
Great workers will be the ones who deliver what they promise consistently
Advancement decisions will be decided by capability rather than who you drink beer with after work
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💰" title="Geldsack" aria-label="Emoji: Geldsack"> Private Equity: the hottest trend of the next decade for private equity will see them purchase companies, make them remote-first
The cost saving in real-estate at scale will be eye-watering. The productivity gains will be the final nail in the coffin for the office
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💩" title="Dreckshaufen" aria-label="Emoji: Dreckshaufen"> Bullshit Tasks: The need to pad out your 8 hour day will evaporate, replaced by clear tasks and responsibilities
Workers will do what needs to be done rather than wasting their trying to look busy with the rest of the office
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧘♀️" title="Frau im Lotossitz" aria-label="Emoji: Frau im Lotossitz"> Health & Wellbeing: A lack of commute will give workers 25 extra days a year to do other things
Workers will exploit the freedom they have to organize things more freely in their day. Afternoon runs, morning meditation, 2 things a lot of people I know now do
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤖" title="Robotergesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Robotergesicht"> personal RPA: robotic process automation will transform work for individuals
No-code tools that enable workers to built bots that automate menial parts of their roles will be huge
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚐" title="Minibus" aria-label="Emoji: Minibus"> Remote Living: Work from anywhere RVs will become huge business
Associated business parks and services will spring up. This will happen even more rapidly as self driving tech emerges
Expect a
@Tesla product in this space
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⚖️" title="Waage" aria-label="Emoji: Waage"> lifework balance: massive increases in part-time and freelance work
A recognition that we no longer have to sacrifice work for living, we can organize work around our lives
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎫" title="Ticket" aria-label="Emoji: Ticket"> Remote Visa: small nations coming together in order to attract remote workers at different stages of the year
Huge opportunity to synchronise education to enable families to be more fluid in their locations
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🏝" title="Einsame Insel" aria-label="Emoji: Einsame Insel"> Wellness Days: The pandemic has shown remote work works.The lack of boundaries has caused burnout
Many companies are implementing wellness days where their teams get an unplanned day off once every 1-2 months
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🏡" title="Haus mit Garten" aria-label="Emoji: Haus mit Garten"> Micro Co-working: a home on every street is transformed into a hyper local co-working space.
It comes with all the amenities needed, like high-quality coffee, and has on-demand fitness equipment like
@onepeloton bikes
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧰" title="Toolbox" aria-label="Emoji: Toolbox"> Vertical Tools:
@NotionHQ,
@LoomHQ,
@zoom_us etc. are incredible horizontal products that do nearly anything
Vertical products that do one thing, operating around a constraint that looks like a feature, will explode to prominence
Meetings, async & culture big opportunities
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🗣" title="Silhouette eines sprechenden Kopfes" aria-label="Emoji: Silhouette eines sprechenden Kopfes"> Voice Tech: You speak 7x faster than you type and you read 2x faster than you listen
Tech that let&
#39;s you consume and input via these modes will arise and interface with every possible tool you use
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚘" title="Entgegenkommendes Auto" aria-label="Emoji: Entgegenkommendes Auto"> 1 Car Households: The rise of remote will have tremendous indirect benefits towards slashing pollution
Families will benefit from only needing one car slashing cost of living, potentially cutting commuting a lot
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💫" title="Symbol für Benommenheit" aria-label="Emoji: Symbol für Benommenheit"> WFH Experience: offices have emerged to provide incredible experiences inside some companies. Lunches, launderettes, child care
Companies will differentiate in this domain rapidly. The remote culture and experience a company offers will be a massive attraction for workers
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👨👩👧👦" title="Normale Familie (Mann, Frau, Mädchen, Junge)" aria-label="Emoji: Normale Familie (Mann, Frau, Mädchen, Junge)"> Community Led SaaS: as no-code continues to grow, tech is barely a barrier
Communities become the moat important moat a company has
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💣" title="Bombe" aria-label="Emoji: Bombe"> Hybrid Implosion: the worst of both worlds because it dilutes the benefits of remote or office work
The maximization of the negatives of each mode will mean that hybrid companies are the least successful of the 3 options: remote, office, hybrid
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🛠️" title="Hammer und Schraubenschlüssel" aria-label="Emoji: Hammer und Schraubenschlüssel"> Remote Tools: Companies operating remotely now will have created tools every remote team on the planet needs
@Zapier,
@Gitlab,
@GitHub,
@FirstbaseHQ will spawn Mafias who take these internal tools and create startups around them
Several $Billion Startups to emerge this way
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