Remote teams

Remote teams

More than five years into the homeworking revolution, a narrative seems to have emerged - of employees being hauled back to the office against their will. This contrasts with what COVID taught us: that people can work flexibly, benefit from not commuting, and even work for employers based far from their home - expanding the labour pool for employers. In fact, both of these arguments are oversimplifications.

In a company's early days, culture is forged through proximity-shared desks, late nights, and the push-and-pull of turning ideas into reality. Decisions happen on the fly, and everyone knows each other by name. But as you scale-especially as a remote-first organization-that sense of connection can quietly fade. Suddenly, you realize you can't attend every onboarding, celebrate every milestone, or even recognize every face on a Zoom call.

How did I manage to convince my Fitbit that I had a rigorous workout in the middle of the workday? It was not a treadmill desk, though I do have one of those at home. Also, not a trick. I did not put my Fitbit onto my cat and make her run around the apartment. It was actually quite a serious answer. It was a clash with a co-worker that made my heart rate go up to 140

OpenAI employees are Slacking up a storm. While AI companies say they're radically changing how we work, from work to messaging to cutting head count entirely, OpenAI is sticking with one classic workplace tool - and they use it a lot. OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap said his company had high-frequency Slackers on Fortune's "Term Sheet" podcast. "We are probably the world's most active users of Slack internally at OpenAI," Lightcap said.

There's one unifying reason why employees actually show up for work every single day. The pay. It's as simple as that. But is there such a thing as a job perk so good that it would make up for a pay cut from what you are currently earning? According to a survey conducted by Youngstown State University, of 1,000 employees in the U.S., there are actually two things that Americans would consider worthy of a pay cut: a remote or hybrid workplace or a four-day workweek.

Since announcing the policy, Ford has sent some employees emails telling them that they are not badging in enough and warning that they could face termination if they do not improve their attendance, three current and former Ford employees told Business Insider. Two said they had received these emails despite complying with updated office attendance policies and having previous work-from-home arrangements signed off by their managers.

If your workday lives on Slack, you already know how noisy it can get. Threads spiral into chaos. Messages get lost in the shuffle. And before you know it, someone's asking for the third time, "Hey, just checking in on this?" That's where a well-written message makes all the difference. A quick reminder, a friendly nudge, or a clear update sent at the right time can keep everyone in sync without sounding overbearing.