Teaching notes: Remote work

Remote in practice: The case of GitLab

Go to the GitLab website / platform to understand what DevOps means

Tips for a productive all-remote workforce [u0dRWDmYSvg].webm

Discuss the video: key elements for the transition?

  • senior leadership must go all-remote (people mimic that)
  • transparency: fewer informal communication channels
  • making decisions asynchronously (DRI: directly responsible individual who may solicit feedback but makes the decision - combining the advantages of a consensus and a hierarchical culture)
  • iterative approach to avoid coordination problems (software development approach)
  • handbook first (code company norms, processes etc. - don’t “document” ex post)

How does the DRI (everyone can make decisions) work? (hiring selection, builds trust - transparency prevents exploitation of trust)

  • flexibility for workers, for hiring (across geographies)
  • challenges of asynchronous work
  • handbook

Remote in practice: GitLab’s remote playbook

Remote models: add covid-home-office, FTS, digital nomads

Leadership: trust/control/conflict -> DRI: directly responsible individual

Note. skip communication

forms of remote-work arrangements: (+ digital nomads? / time-zones, …)

  • Would you like to work in an all-remote company?

QUESTION/BLACKBOARD:

  • What are the key challenges / benefits of remote work?

Common challenges in remote work

  • Managing work-life boundaries (e.g., unplugging after work, working longer hours)
  • Team-related (e.g., communication, different time zones, cultural differences)
  • Self-management (e.g., time management, technical problems, career development)

  • Mental and physical side-effects (e.g., isolation, lack of connection, sedentary lifestyle)

    boundaries: distractions Key challenges: find surveys (1/3 feel disconnected from colleagues) https://timeular.com/blog/challenges-working-remotely/

  • Work-life boundary management/expectations: availability (time, channels): better to set generally (asking for ok), rather than pushing back specific requests

Benefits of remote work

  • Flexibility and autonomy
  • Less commuting time
  • Better work-life balance
  • Higher productivity and motivation
  • Reduced turnover
  • Lower costs for office space

Remote in practice: The GitLab handbook

Employee handbook: transparency of processes, values, practices

Go for perfect harmony (STUDENTS?)

  • giving feedback (Kindness/caring)
  • safety (e.g., when the company is struggling/laying off people)
  • Inclusion: e.g., have everyone heard at meetings
  • support (pair programming, skills)

Handbook: dysfunctions

  • Conflict: can it be beneficial?
  • Challenging: a little bit of task-conflict is important to find good solutions, it may also be necessary to settle relationship conflicts (storming phase)
  • BUT: escalating conflict may also get you fired
  • team phases: forming, storming, norming, performing
  • Diverse teams often outperform homogeneous teams (reinforcing groupthink)

Trust: important in teams - why?

Control and delegation

  • input (hiring), clan (informal)
  • different modes of delegation (DRI)
  • “who has the monkey”?, who is empowered, makes decisions and drives change?

Handbook: trust is an outcome - earned not given. -> how could trust be managed? -> selection: hiring/firing, company norms

explain dogfooding

day 5: add yourself to the team page

culture: reflected in the handbook=

  • documentation / self learning
  • helping: updating docs
  • team: connecting

The role of trust for effective virtual teams

Higher virtuality increases the effect of trust on team effectiveness (through higher perceived risk) Documentation should decrease the effect of trust on team effectiveness (through lower perceived risk)