tonicb

Joined 6 years ago

Karma
351
Submissions
21
Member since
Feb 5
I work at the intersection of tech, policy and politics. I write a weekly newsletter and co-host & produce a podcast.
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Recent submissions

Comment · 5 years ago
I'm adopting Toni "The friend" from now on. It has a good ring to it.

We certainly didn't make things easy by calling our podcast "Another Podcast" and yes I agree with you - although audio has been around for a long time, the podcast space still has a lot of maturing to do, and on many fronts.

Thanks for tuning in (is that what people say these days? I don't know anymore) - it's appreciated.

Comment · 5 years ago
Thanks for recommending the podcast - we've actually got an episode coming out tomorrow around the topic of pulling such a presentation together. Hope you enjoy it. Toni (aka 'the friend':) )
Comment · 6 years ago
I couldn't agree more with you. Too often we expect the same outcome when throwing people into a new environment, and without clear processes, expectations...
Comment · 6 years ago
Thanks for sharing and some good insights in there.

I actually had never heard of thehtime.com - so this was definitely a new discovery for me.

Comment · 6 years ago
Now this is something that has been in my mind for some while now. I actually think this lack of understanding goes far beyond these two groups.

There is a lack of understanding, but also trust between citizens and the media, citizens and the tech space. And we also see the same with our legislators too.

All around people are struggling to understand each other.

Comment · 6 years ago
I know exactly what you mean. As a product of the european Union - born in France, grew up in both France and Belgium, studied in the UK, France and Belgium, but British by passport I have benefited greatly from the free movement of people across Europe. But a European citizen not more it's as if i've lost a part of who I am.

As the saying goes; you can never truly appreciate what you have until it's gone.

Comment · 6 years ago
I don't think the number of days (less or more) is what will make the different. As humans we are almost always going to complain about wanting more or less of something.

I know that for me the things that make me happier are:

- more efficient use of time - more effective processes (very much tied to the above) - percentage of time dedicated within the workweek to personal projects that might be far removed from the actual job or have a very long-term upside - more focus on the output rather than how/when the job got done. Note: I'm absolutely not saying here that all means justify the end.

Comment · 6 years ago
I love this question so much and have been thinking about it for the past few days (especially as I just put out a four-part guide on remote work).

Here are a few stories I picked up in the past five years:

I was an executive at a tech company which had a HQ in California. I joined to lead our European expansion so from the outset it was clear that I was going to be defacto ‘remote’. Although, at the time it wasn’t discussed as such. What was very obvious was that at the start the responsibility was very much on me to get in front of the people I needed, be heard, aggressively communicate what I wanted/needed, wake up early, stay online late, set reminders to ping people before I would go to bed...

Then in order to acquire the best talent, the company decided to become remote-friendly (and later remote-first). And more or less immediately I felt the burden of responsibility lifting form our small European team because I (and the European team) was no longer alone in the remote work situation.

The moment the company was clear on its intention, the habits started to settle in and everyone seemed to get on the same page. It was quite impressive to watch. But this shift was absolutely intentional and top-down driven.

One interesting impact the shift to remote-friendly (which lead us to become remote-first) was the following:

An increasing number of people took advantage of this shift, the HQ office slowly started to empty and lost the upbeat and busy atmosphere it once had. The remote attitude also started to extend to people working at HQ and remote became synonymous for ‘Work from home’ and making this a recurring habit was tempting. Seeing as the default was starting to be remote, it mattered far less if the HQ people were physically in the office because all those habits necessary for remote work had settled in.

I would certainly avoid the blend of remote work and centralised office because right from the outset it creates two separate cultures. I would advocate for going all in if you are doing in. While we were transitioning we certainly had two cultures.

Common mistakes: - not being explicit and intentional with the decision - not knowing why you are doing this shift in the first place - seeing it as a perk rather than a fundamentally new way of working - not preparing for such a shift - being very clear on what 'remote' means for your company (how are you defining it)

Comment · 6 years ago
what is the something in this context if not data?

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