Remote by default (BACON 2014)

This is a talk from BACON 2014 in London, where I spoke about how GitHub makes working remotely not suck.

At GitHub, approximately 75% of our 245 employees work remotely, regularly covering over 100 cities around the world at any one time. Making this work for everyone isn’t easy, but it’s definitely achievable, and with the right approach can become one of your company’s greatest strengths. This talk aims to share insights into how you too can reap the benefits of embracing remote work, while ensuring it stays awesome for everybody involved.

Transcript

1. Remote
   By Default
   ! cobyism — BACON 2014
   }
   {
   

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2. @cobyism
   

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7. EGGS
   

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8. WALKIES‽
   

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9. EGGS
   MY HOUSE
   

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11. EGGS
    

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13. This is
    awesome.
    

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14. This is
    convenient.
    

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15. This is
    asynchronous.
    

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16. This is
    cost-effective.
    

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17. This makes my
    dog happier.
    

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18. This helps my
    neighbours.
    

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19. This makes me
    feel trusted.
    

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20. TRUST
    is the key
    

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21. This is
    awesome.
    

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22. Remote is
    awesome.
    

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23. Remote
    by default.
    

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24. Remote
    by default.
    

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25. Remote
    by default.
    

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26. Remote
    by default.
    (the hard part)
    

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27. Remote should
    be first-class.
    

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28. It means a shift
    in thinking.
    

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29. It means a shift
    in behaviour.
    

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30. You have
    to commit.
    

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31. Why is remote
    even desirable?
    

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32. You can offer
    flexibility.
    

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33. You can offer
    autonomy.
    

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34. You can offer
    trust.
    

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35. You can be
    sought after.
    

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36. You can hire
    the best people
    anywhere.
    

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37. You will be
    more diverse.
    

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38. You can
    innovate better.
    

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39. You can win at
    business.
    

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40. Working with great
    people is awesome.
    

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41. Remote isn’t
    for everyone.
    

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42. Remote is
    the future.
    Remote
    

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43. at GitHub.
    Remote
    

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44. SYNC ASYNC
    

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45. INFORMAL
    FORMAL
    SYNC ASYNC
    

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46. INFORMAL
    FORMAL
    SYNC ASYNC
    

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47. Chat
    

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53. #ChatOps
    

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54. Put tools into
    the conversation.
    

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55. Chat is a mix of
    formal & informal
    

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56. Team
    

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57. Updates
    

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58. Ships
    

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59. Ideas
    

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60. Team is a mix of
    formal & informal
    

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61. GitHub.com
    

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62. github /
    ! github
    

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63. github
    support!
    ops!
    windows!
    government!
    github!
    mac!
    training
    education!
    community
    /
    ! github
    

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64. github /
    ! …
    

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65. github
    fithubber!
    meditation!
    beerhub!
    cycling!
    beer30!
    feedback!
    inc!
    diaries!
    projects
    /
    ! beer30
    

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66. github toasts
    /
    !
    

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67. Toasts
    

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68. Toasts
    

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69. Email
    

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70. Interal docs
    

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71. FaceTime
    

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72. FaceTime
    LOLNOPE
    

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73. Face time
    

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74. Onboarding
    

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75. Summits
    

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76. Product
    Minisummits
    

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77. Team
    Minisummits
    

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78. Video chat
    

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79. Beer:30
    

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80. Talks
    

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81. It’s not the tools, it’s
    how they’re used.
    

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82. Don’t shortcut your
    communications.
    

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83. Remote isn’t just
    for remote people.
    

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84. Think about who
    isn’t in the room.
    

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85. Try asynchronous
    channels first.
    

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86. Everything should
    have an URL.
    

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87. Open up your
    creative process.
    

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88. Show humanity
    in your words.
    

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89. Asynchronous !=
    always available.
    

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90. Be patient.
    

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91. Fight the urge to
    be a cargo cult.
    (nope, not even from us)
    

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92. Tackle things from
    first principles.
    

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93. Presume you have
    blind spots.
    

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94. It’s not all
    ☀️
    

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95. Iteration, as always
    is the key.
    

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96. What works
    changes over time.
    

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97. Thanks!
    coby@github.com
    @cobyism
    

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