---
title: Working Remotely is a Skill
teaser: 'Recognizing it as a skill will help you and your team level up.

  '
tags: remote,culture,continuous improvement,teams,virtual hugs,playbook
author: Hawley Brett
published_on: 2020-04-14
---

As many companies are shifting to remote work, it's important to recognize that
working remotely is a skill, in and of itself. It might seem obvious when put so
bluntly, but it's worth pointing out, because we can't assume that we can switch
to working remotely without needing to learn how. While there are many articles
about strategies for remote work, here I want to focus more on the meta issue,
and what changes when we start thinking of remote work as a skill.

If you set out to learn a new skill, would you expect to master it your first
time trying? Of course not.

So it is with remote work.

If we understand working remotely as a skill, we'll be better prepared to level
up on it, and we'll have more accurate expectations about how this process will
go, for us personally, and for our teams.

## Learning new skills is hard

Let's start by recognizing that learning new skills is hard. Since it's new,
fundamentally you're not going to know everything about it when you start. You
might know very little. It's often frustrating. You often fail on your first few
tries, learning by experience.

If you've suddenly gone remote in the last few weeks, and you're struggling with
it -- that's okay. It's normal, and it's not your fault -- you are simply
learning a new skill. And of course, we're not only shifting to remote work, but
also dealing with the ramifications of a global pandemic. If the past few weeks
were not your most productive -- forgive yourself. If you manage others, forgive
them too.

## Learning new skills requires time

The idea of a "learning curve" is that, when you're learning something, you
won't be as good at it at first, but as you learn over time, it will become
easier. Expect that there will be a learning curve to going remote. People will
figure out more and more what works for them. You'll find your rhythms, spaces,
and habits that help. Your team will converge on what processes and tools to use
after a period of experimentation. You're simply not going to have all of these
on day one -- developing this learning takes time. It's better to bake that into
your expectations than to expect that everything can go on smoothly as if there
was no real change in going remote.

## We were thrown into the deep end

Being thrown into the deep end can be a good way to learn new skills. Some
people thrive on this. But it can also be way too much too fast. Since most
people shifting to remote right now did not do this voluntarily, they
might be relatively ill-equipped to make the shift. For example, people with
roommates, who are now all staying at home due to shutdowns, may not have a
quiet space in their house to work. People might have child care suddenly, since
schools are closed. Disruption to daily rhythms and lack of social connections
can exacerbate mental health issues. We're not just going remote -- we're also
dealing with the effects of an international crisis.

If we recognize that we were thrown into the deep end, we might be better
equipped to deal with the situation, because, well, we know we need to keep
ourselves from drowning, and, eventually, get good at swimming.

If right now, you or your teammates are thrashing wildly in the deep end, that's
okay. Certainly, it's not the ideal place to stay, but it's worth recognizing
that that's where we are, so we don't expect the impossible from ourselves or
others. We won't be winning swimming races right away. We might need to start,
even, with treading water and using the side-stroke (the safest stroke, if you
really do need to swim to safety. For real. I used to lifeguard).

## Dedicate time for your team to learn remote working skills

Since we're going to need to learn to swim, consider dedicating time to
evaluating and improving tools, processes, and team culture that help teams work
remotely.

Set up a means to solicit feedback from team members about what's working,
what's not, and what they might need that could help them.

Take the time to read up on strategies for remote work, and give yourself the
space to learn them, forgiving yourself if you're not a pro on Day 1.

Think about ways you and your team can grow the remote company culture to have
more opportunities for connection and fun, and how to be inclusive. For more
resources, check out our other [blog posts on remote
work](https://thoughtbot.com/blog/tags/remote), and the recording of our Live
Q&A for product teams, ["Being Human in the Absence of
Humans"](https://info.thoughtbot.com/remote-product-team-resources).

It's going to be important to adjust to these times with intentionality,
compassion, and openness to learning. A good attitude towards the learning
process will go a long way.