# 6 Keys to Managing a Remote-First Workforce
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2022-09-27
Category: BUSINESS
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/business
Meta Title: Building a Strong Remote-First Work Culture
Meta Description: Discover the strategies used by Tremendous, a remote-first company since 2011, to build a productive and enjoyable remote work environment. Learn how to align
URL: https://financedigest.com/6-keys-to-managing-a-remote-first-workforcehtml

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Kapil Kale. co-founder and COO, Tremendous

I’ve been an executive at both in-person and remote-first work cultures. The former was during my time at AngelList, and the latter at the company I co-founded, Tremendous.

Tremendous has been a remote-first company since its inception in 2011, about 8 years before the [global pandemic forced office](https://www.financedigest.com/black-panther-sequel-ignites-box-office-with-330-million-global-debut.html "‘Black Panther’ sequel ignites box office with 0 million global debut") workers to stay home. Initially imposed as a temporary precaution, [remote work](https://www.financedigest.com/shoring-up-cyber-defences-in-the-remote-working-era.html "Shoring up cyber defences in the remote working era") quickly became the preferred modus operandi for the majority of the workforce.

According to McKinsey, [87% of workers](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/real-estate/our-insights/americans-are-embracing-flexible-work-and-they-want-more-of-it) who have the option to work remotely at least some of the time jump on the opportunity.

But transitioning from an in-office model to a remote-first culture comes with growing pains, because working in the office was pretty good. You had happy hours, a break room with snacks, maybe bean bag chairs to make things [feel a little](https://www.financedigest.com/analysis-russians-feel-little-economic-pain-now-long-term-outlook-darkens.html "Analysis: Russians feel little economic pain now, long-term outlook darkens") casual and fun.

For a lot of companies, remote-first work is not nearly as productive or enjoyable as it could be. That’s because many [companies are trying to retrofit the office experience](https://www.financedigest.com/poor-user-experience-plaguing-wealth-management-firms-warns-radical-company.html "Poor user experience plaguing wealth management firms, warns Radical Company") to a remote-first world.

The way to [build a solid remote-first work culture](https://www.financedigest.com/7-tips-for-building-a-positive-remote-work-culture.html "7 tips for building a positive remote work culture") is to create a culture that fits the medium, rather than forcing the medium to fit the culture.

To make the model work, we had to keep a few important considerations in mind. Below are some of the practices that worked for us.

## **Align protocols around a remote-first work environment**

Aligning the expectations of both your leadership team and your employees around a remote-first [work environment ensures your teams stay efficient but flexible](https://www.financedigest.com/the-flexible-working-revolution-is-here-so-why-arent-you-tracking-expenses-on-the-go.html "‘The flexible working revolution is here – so why aren’t you tracking expenses on the go?’").

For example, at Tremendous, we recruit engineers from much of the world to find talent capable of building complex software at scale. Our only rule is that people generally be available online between 12pm and 3pm Eastern Time.

This lax but defined parameter sets a precedent: we want our people to be available to answer questions, communicate over Slack, or hop on a quick Zoom call during peak [work hours to foster collaboration across time](https://www.financedigest.com/time-management-strategies-that-work.html "Time management strategies that work") zones and teams. But as long as the work gets done, it doesn’t matter if they start at 7 and end at 3 or start at 10 and end at 6.

Building these protocols into the foundation of your company from the outset helps to [attract the right talent](https://www.financedigest.com/cobots-in-the-financial-workplace-reducing-costs-attracting-talent-and-enhancing-sustainability.html "Cobots in the financial workplace: Reducing costs, attracting talent and enhancing sustainability"). For us, it’s made it a lot easier to recruit [top talent around the world](https://www.financedigest.com/top-10-fastest-bikes-in-the-world.html "Top 10 fastest bikes in the world") who understand our mission and our way of working.

This creates a self-sustaining culture of people who [believe in remote-first work](https://www.financedigest.com/1-in-5-uk-workers-believe-there-is-a-gender-divide-with-work-uniforms.html " 1 in 5 UK workers believe there is a gender divide with work uniforms"), want to maintain a healthy remote-first work culture, and know what it takes to keep the productivity machine ticking along under remote-first conditions.

## **Eliminate practices that don’t serve the team**

There’s one area in particular where remote work [fails to compete with in-office life:](https://www.financedigest.com/are-the-over-55s-accessing-their-pensions-early-failing-to-plan-for-later-life.html "Are the over-55s accessing their pensions early failing to plan for later life?") Meetings. Nobody likes meeting online. Long meetings in person can be stimulating and invigorating, but long meetings over Zoom drag on sleepily. It is what it is.

At Tremendous, we limit meetings as much as possible by doing the majority of our communication over Youtube, Loom, Notion, Slack, or Github.

One key guideline we impose on our team is to hold discussions in open Slack channels, public Notion docs, or team-wide Asana boards whenever possible. That way, all communication is searchable and publicly archived.

We also stress the importance of creating [project and initiative](https://www.financedigest.com/taylor-fay-homes-recruit-cordant-projects-for-innovative-property-initiative.html "Taylor Fay homes recruit Cordant Projects for innovative property initiative") briefs on Notion, which serve as thorough documentation of all progress and status updates. If we decide to launch a [meeting to discuss](https://www.financedigest.com/new-zealand-pm-meets-biden-to-discuss-u-s-indo-pacific-strategy.html "New Zealand PM meets Biden to discuss U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy") a project further, we include notes from the meetings in the brief.

These briefs aren’t just for ongoing projects. They’re also for proposals for new services someone may be interested in, a new initiative someone wants to launch, or any other suggestion with reasonably large-scale implications.

To make a proposal, the person with the idea has to first write out the background and logic for the potential move. Then, others can comment on the proposal in the document.

This documentation also makes onboarding a lot easier for new recruits. Rather than sitting through hours of training, they can get themselves up to speed pretty quickly and autonomously by skimming through existing artifacts.

Meetings, of course, still have their place in a remote world. But they’re only used sparingly, and only when there’s a topic of conversation where all participants [expect a lot of discussion to take place](https://www.financedigest.com/revealed-the-top-5-places-brits-expect-to-find-the-one-in-2016.html "REVEALED: THE TOP 5 PLACES BRITS EXPECT TO FIND ‘THE ONE’ IN 2016").

## **Hire remote-first managers**

Accountability, management, and problem-solving look a little different in a remote world. In the office, you can stick three people in a room, give them a [problem to solve](https://www.financedigest.com/british-start-up-reveals-the-secret-to-solving-the-problem-of-identity-fraud.html "British start up reveals the secret to solving the problem of identity fraud"), and they’ll organically negotiate, compromise, and iterate until they’ve come to a resolution in a pretty timely manner.

But connect those same people via chat, and things get a bit harried. It may be hard to get everyone online at the same time, response times may lag or occur so instantaneously that it’s impossible to follow the thread of conversation, and one team member may miss half the conversation due to another discussion happening simultaneously in a separate channel.

Asynchronous communication and problem-solving requires a bit more structure. You [need to choose a leader to manage](https://www.financedigest.com/struggling-banks-need-to-modernise-and-improve-software-quality-management.html "Struggling Banks Need to Modernise and Improve Software Quality Management") collaboration and accountability, communicate expectations, and align the group on goals.

Choosing the right leader (or manager) for a remote-first world is [super important](https://www.financedigest.com/mickey-mouse-spider-man-super-mario-added-to-russias-parallel-imports-scheme.html "Mickey Mouse, Spider-Man, Super Mario added to Russia’s parallel imports scheme"). These managers need to be accustomed to a specific method of communication, a certain cadence of checking in with team members, and a structured way of reporting on metrics and tasks that’s suited to asynchronous work.

## “If you say it twice, write it down.”

In addition to being a bit boring, meetings on Zoom aren’t easy to revisit for important information. Yes, you can record Zoom meetings and watch them later, but sitting through a meeting and then rewatching it isn’t a great use of time.

At Tremendous, we consciously minimize meetings by encouraging employees to create a paper trail. Our internal rule is, “If you have to say it twice, write it down.”

There are so many [ways to do this effectively — there’s about a million collaboration](https://www.financedigest.com/5-ways-cfo-and-cio-collaboration-can-benefit-the-business.html "5 Ways CFO and CIO collaboration can benefit the business") tools designed to  communicate, track, and record ideas so that everyone at your company knows the important stuff.

We also use broadcast [videos and screencasts to share](https://www.financedigest.com/ubisoft-shares-slump-20-after-french-video-game-maker-warns-on-revenue.html "Ubisoft shares slump 20% after French video game maker warns on revenue") information. This is largely for important, cogent conversations where there isn’t too much back-and-forth.

I put together mini-broadcasts for my team all the time. Instead of holding a lengthy all-hands meeting, typically someone on leadership records a video (which you can watch sped up on your own time) and solicits written questions.

When we hold the actual meeting, our time together is brief and spent almost entirely in discussion. We also simply cancel all-hands meetings if there isn’t anything pressing to discuss.

Whether you use written communication, video broadcasts, or a combination, having an online record of important information that people can revisit is [key to successful](https://www.financedigest.com/battling-uncertainty-is-the-key-to-property-investment-success.html "Battling uncertainty is the key to property investment success") remote collaboration.

## **Collaboration and writing are critical skills**

In the same [way you should hire managers](https://www.financedigest.com/5-practical-ways-to-manage-your-business-expenses.html "5 Practical Ways To Manage Your Business Expenses") who have a proven track record of working in a remote-first culture, it’s also important to screen for candidates who thrive in a remote environment.

We do this in two ways at Tremendous. First, we see how well a candidate can move a project forward with minimal direction. We gauge this through a time-limited test assignment.

Second, we test candidates on their writing skills. Effective written communication is an [essential skill across departments and roles in a remote-first work](https://www.financedigest.com/working-with-banks-essential-tips-for-fintechstartups.html "Working with banks – essential tips for fintechstartups") environment. We screen every candidate with a writing assessment related to their role to get a read on how well they’d be able to communicate if Slack, Gmail, and Notion were their only options.

For instance, as [part of our engineering](https://www.financedigest.com/engine-parts-makers-must-cross-valley-of-death-to-reach-ev-era.html "Engine parts makers must cross ‘valley of death’ to reach EV era") interviews, we prompt candidates to create an architecture document. The highly-qualified candidates pull in online collaboration tools to sketch out designs, and then transfer those designs into clear documentation that others can comment on without needing to launch a meeting. Those who feel lost without a whiteboard probably aren’t a good fit

We’ve turned down qualified candidates who spoke eloquently but struggled to write clearly.

Success in a remote-first world isn’t just about raw talent — it’s about collaborating with team members under specific conditions.

## **There’s value in consistency**

Figuring out how work is going to get done now that your workforce is spread across the country (or the globe) is another key consideration.

The popular hybrid work model can actually create some level of inconsistency across the organization. Those who have the option to come into the office a couple days a week get to have spontaneous conversations around the water cooler that people too far to commute completely miss out on.

More importantly, because thorough documentation is so important at Tremendous, consistently working fully remote across the org ensures everyone understands the value and necessity of recording everything either in writing or on video.

With some people going in-office and others not, it would naturally feel less important to create a record of certain conversations and ideas for the people who can simply swivel around in their chairs to ask a clarifying question.

At Tremendous, we opted to [design the company](https://www.financedigest.com/mastering-the-2016-company-logo-design-trend.html "Mastering The 2016 Company Logo Design Trend") with no offices to avoid this issue. In fact, until not too long ago, our [CEO’s apartment was the official company](https://www.financedigest.com/in-listening-mode-new-bayer-ceo-keeps-open-mind-on-company-split.html "In listening mode, new Bayer CEO keeps ‘open mind’ on company split") address.

Eliminating the central office puts everyone on equal footing. Everyone uses the same avenues to build rapport and the same channels of communication to relay ideas. And everyone on a video call participates in the same way.

## **Company offsites build culture**

There are a bunch of [benefits to developing](https://www.financedigest.com/the-benefits-of-developing-online-stores-through-shopify.html "The Benefits of Developing Online Stores Through Shopify") authentic, personal relationships. It nurtures trust between team members, builds morale, and fosters a sense of community.

With casual conversations largely stripped from worklife in a remote setting, it’s important to find ways to help people connect and build friendships.

I’ve only found one way to do this, but it works. It involves forcing the entire company to go to the same place and [talk to each other for a couple days a year](https://www.financedigest.com/extraordinary-rollercoaster-good-friday-talks-remembered-25-years-on.html "‘Extraordinary rollercoaster’, Good Friday talks remembered 25 years on").

The focus of these offsites is firmly fixed on having fun and socializing. It’s like adult summer camp. And when it’s over, everyone feels energized by their new connections with colleagues.

Company off-sites condense all the socialization that would happen in an office setting into two or three team-building trips. We also encourage employees to get together in smaller group settings with their teams at least one other time. They tend to actually involve some work, such as strategic planning, but there’s still plenty of time for fun.

Is it the ideal substitute for in-office banter? Maybe not. But it’s a lot better than a happy hour over Zoom.

## Conclusion

Companies willing to embrace the zeitgeist of the modern workforce have a literal world of talent out there to choose from.

Today’s [workers want flexibility and trust from their employers](https://www.financedigest.com/more-than-half-of-workers-are-open-to-leaving-their-current-employers.html "MORE THAN HALF OF WORKERS ARE OPEN TO LEAVING THEIR CURRENT EMPLOYERS"). They want to work from anywhere, and they want their employer to care more about what they get done rather than when they do it.

At Tremendous, we’ve kept these values at the forefront since the beginning. So far, it’s going pretty well.

**_About Author:_**

Kapil Kale is the co-founder and COO of Tremendous. Kapil previously co-founded GiftRocket, an online gift [card company that went through Y Combinator and became profitable](https://www.financedigest.com/festive-cheer-boosts-profit-outlook-for-uks-card-factory.html "Festive cheer boosts profit outlook for UK’s Card Factory"). Prior to that, he worked as a Senior Associate Consultant at Bain & Company. Kapil has also worked as a Portfolio Team member at Insight Venture Partners. Kapil Kale graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in economics.


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