The Shape of Work

#122: Hrishikesh Pardeshi on being an early proponent of Remote work, and how to do Remote right

September 28, 2021 Springworks Season 1 Episode 122
The Shape of Work
#122: Hrishikesh Pardeshi on being an early proponent of Remote work, and how to do Remote right
Show Notes Chapter Markers

On this episode of The Shape of Work podcast, our guest is Hrishikesh Pardeshi, Co-founder and CTO at Flexiple, Remote Tools, and The Remote Clan.

Flexiple- an online curated freelancing platform aiming to empower both companies and freelancers.

Remote Tools - a fastest growing online remote working community that features top tech remote-first products, tool stack used by actual remote teams and insightful reads on the Future of Work among many other exciting things. 

The Remote Clan - a community for remote workers to build a strong career with the help of those who are pursuing the same goals. 

Hrishikesh is perhaps the strongest proponent of remote work. When he started Remote Tools in 2018, there is no way he could have foreseen that the digital transformation many companies had been planning for years would take place in a matter of months. Now, everyone is looking at remote tools as a matter of business continuity. 

In this episode, we discuss with Hrishikesh:

  • His professional journey from working at giants like Adobe and Amazon to building Flexiple, Remote Tools, and The Remote Clan.
  • Stop the meeting madness:  how fewer daily review meetings can actually increase the efficiency of work
  • The main blockers to a 100%-remote employee org
  • Hybrid-remote: understanding nuances and pitfalls 
  • Powerful ways to improve your employee recognition
  • Team building approaches: alternatives to team off-sites
  • Everything you need to know about employee monitoring

How to ace remote working? – Fewer meetings

In a typical office environment, meetings are the ideal way for communication. In remote working, though, it is best to have as few meetings as possible. 

Virtual meetings are not the most productive way to communicate and can be hard to set up because everyone cannot be present for the meeting. It might be due to their geographic location, what they are working on, or simply because their internet connection is not stable enough at that time. 

Meetings are essential, and companies should aim for virtual meetings. However, sending invites to directly involved people is better. 

Significant issues with remote working

Hrishikesh claims that there are considerable challenges to remote working, but these problems are avoidable if tackled early on. Moreover, the advantages of remote working far outweigh the disadvantages. 

The first major problem of remote working he talks about is that many employees find it incredibly hard to disconnect after their working hours are over. Because we always have our work devices within a hand’s reach, the urge to reply to that one email is too strong to ignore. 

The next major drawback of remote working is loneliness. Many remote working employees are restricted to their rooms with no one to talk to throughout the day.

Making Employees Feel Valued in Remote Setting

Making employees feel that their work is appreciated when they work remotely can be a challenge. It is easier for colleagues to compliment each other when they are sitting next to each other. 

Hrishikesh suggests that management should create channels for enabling people to appreciate each other’s hard work. They have a dedicated channel where employees can share their achievements, and their peers can react.  

Employee Monitoring

When asked

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His professional journey from working at giants like Adobe and Amazon to building Flexiple, Remote Tools, and The Remote Clan.
Stop the meeting madness: how fewer daily review meetings can actually increase the efficiency of work
The main blockers to a 100%-remote employee org
(Cont.) The main blockers to a 100%-remote employee org
Hybrid-remote: understanding nuances and pitfalls
Powerful ways to improve your employee recognition
Team building approaches: alternatives to team off-sites
Everything you need to know about employee monitoring