When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the world completely changed for a period of time. While it’s a time most of us would happily forget, many of the shifts that came about are becoming permanent staples in our society moving forward, particularly with work.

When Covid shut everything down, suddenly those who work in offices found themselves having to adjust to working from home. Some hated it and couldn’t wait to get back to the office, and others loved it, wanting it to become their normal, even post-pandemic. 

While remote work peaked in 2020, working from home and hybrid working are still at much higher rates than they were pre-pandemic, and there’s no sign that will change anytime soon.

This sudden increase in remote work has given us the opportunity to measure how remote work compares to onsite work in terms of environmental impact. In a time where the fate of the planet rests on this generation’s shoulders, we need to find as many ways as possible to reduce CO2 emissions.

However, despite popular belief, is working remotely actually better for the planet than working in an office?

In this article, I will attempt to answer that question. We will cover:

• Environmental impacts of the workplace
• How remote work changes things
• What about a hybrid model?
• So what is the solution?

What if I told you that the organization powering 35% of the internet’s websites is fully remote?

Automattic has a remote workforce based in 75 countries. You might be asking how such a successful business can be fully remote. That’s where Automattic’s remote framework guide sheds some light.  

Many people underestimated the power of remote work – until the global pandemic forced everyone to stay indoors. Even then, many people still thought about the remote work model through the lens of “there’s a pandemic, so you need to work from home.”

Yet, it’s so much greater than that (if you set it up right). We should know – because at Process Street, we’ve been fully remote since 2014. In today’s article, we’re taking a look at Automattic’s remote work framework and how you can achieve autonomous and asynchronous nirvana with it. 

• Arguments against remote work
• The man behind Automattic’s remote work guide
• The five levels of Automattic’s remote work framework 
• Gain a strategic advantage with the five levels of remote work  

Let’s talk business! 

As we’ll see, certain elements which we consider part of the normal workplace are being abandoned by experimenting companies in favor of new models.

But why are they being abandoned?

For some, it’s about reducing overhead. For others, it’s about finding new ways to combat the traditional problems a growing company faces. It could be about opening up a broader talent pool, increasing adaptability, or navigating uncertain economic environments.

The ultimate goal is to make the company more successful.

Here at Process Street, we have our own thoughts on that looming forebearer, hierarchical structure, so we thought we’d check out what the Jones’s are up to. This post will look at the organizational structure of four of the most successful startups out there and why they’ve opted to make the long-established hierarchical structure on its head.

• The rise and fall of flat organizational structures
• The Process Street path
• Create the right organizational structure for your business

Let’s get to it.
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Joanne Camarce is a digital marketer focused on growing and strategizing B2B marketing and PR efforts. She loves slaying outreach campaigns and connecting with brands like G2, Wordstream, Process Street, and more. When she’s not wearing her marketing hat, you’ll find Joanne lost in the world of Japanese music and art, or just being a dog mom.

From increased employee autonomy to the transformation of offices into meeting hubs, the world of work has experienced a fundamental shift in how things are done. As data and tech innovations continue to morph the future of hybrid work for startups, that change will keep moving.

And that’s a good thing.

None of us knew exactly how much change the pandemic would bring, and some of that change has been frustrating, difficult, and not exactly ideal. Some of it, though, has been very necessary. Some of that change has even been a bit brilliant and revolutionized workplace accessibility in ways many employees have only dreamt of.

We’re talking about change that has made the startup world more efficient, strategic, and, heck – more human.

So how exactly do data and tech continue to impact the future of hybrid work for startups? Let’s find out.

In this post for Process Street, I’ll cover the primary impact hybrid has had so far – and what companies can expect going forward:

• The future of hybrid work & data security
• Rethinking the hybrid workspace
• Hybrid work & money matters
• Using automation & consolidation to ease the hybrid transition
• Nurturing culture & well-being for hybrid workers

Let’s get to work!
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With 5+ years in digital marketing, Yulia Mamonova is driving Lemon.io’s growth with her spot-on writing and clear messages. A writer and a researcher at heart, Yuliia knows how to engage with the readership and build a story that’ll stand out. Yuliia has written over 1500+ pieces over the last few years reshaping the world of FinTech, startups, and content marketing with her skills.

If you are reading this article, you may have already considered outsourcing some of your work to a freelance professional or perhaps even had some experience hiring a freelancer for your project. Or you may have been on the other side of the fence and taken up gig jobs yourself.

Anyway, the post-COVID world has shown us that we need to reevaluate our approach to ‘normal’ work and that freelance workers or independent contractors have a lot to offer to modern businesses facing a lot of budget constraints in these interesting times.

By hiring skilled freelancers, companies can secure themselves the expertise that would otherwise be hard to afford. They can be more responsive to the ever-evolving customers’ demands and still save money by cutting down on benefits.

However, to bring these perks to life, one must choose a real hero of the business’ story, someone who will understand what your team is trying to achieve and consistently contribute to the company’s goals.

In this Process Street post, we’ll be covering:

• Why do I need an interview anyway?
• 12 interview questions to ask a freelance developer

Let’s get right into it!
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Remote work isn’t the future of work – it’s the present. Since 2020, video calls are happening twice as often, and almost 70% of full-time workers are working remotely compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Today, employees not only embrace remote work, they expect it, with one in two US workers stating that they would not be prepared to return to a job that didn’t accommodate for some kind of remote working.

For many reasons, the sentiment towards remote work from an employee perspective is largely positive, with a surprisingly large number of surveyed individuals stating that they have been able to maintain or even improve their productivity during the pandemic.

That’s why, in a post-pandemic world, so many of the remote-first companies who had already established effective fully-remote teams are thriving.

In this article, I’ll examine some of the best remote-first teams you could be working for, with a focus on what to look for when considering if a company is truly fully-remote, and how the company culture can reflect a remote-first mentality.

Here’s a breakdown of the article:

• State of remote work in 2021
• Remote-first vs remote-friendly
• Questions to consider when looking at remote-first companies
• Best remote-first companies to work for in a post-pandemic world

Let’s start with the current state of remote work; what can we learn from recent reports & statistics?

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It’s 4 p.m. and you’ve got a welcome call with your newest team member. Ideally, you’d feel full of life, ready to welcome her with enthusiasm and get her excited about the weeks to come.

Problem is, this is your 6th video call of the day and you’re overrun with Zoom fatigue.

You’ve been turned “on” (not in a good way) for the last 7 hours and are severely lacking in enthusiasm, let alone excitement.

The worst thing is, the majority of those meetings were unnecessary, everything covered in them could’ve been communicated asynchronously.

Simply put, asynchronous communication involves communicating remotely without expecting an immediate response. This can be done via iMessage, pre-recorded video/audio, making suggestions to an existing project (think: Google Docs/Sheets, Github, Jira).

The challenge is knowing, when and how to use synchronous vs. asynchronous communication methods. Fortunately, this post is here to teach you just that so you can avoid Zoom fatigue and stop being real-time, all the time. Feel free to skip to a specific section of the post using the links below.

• What is Zoom fatigue?
• Avoid Zoom fatigue by making sure communication is always intentional
• Avoid Zoom fatigue: Synchronous vs. asynchronous communication
• Advantages and disadvantages of synchronous vs. asynchronous communication
• Synchronous vs. asynchronous communication tools at Process Street
• Synchronous vs. asynchronous communication: Wrapping up

Let’s get started!
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This is a guest post by Katerina Mery, a marketing specialist at Fond. Fond is a rewards and recognition company dedicated to building places where employees love to work. Mery authors articles about how to leverage recognition programs to drive company success.

Think back to the last time a colleague acknowledged you for a job well done.

How did you feel?

Did the experience have an impact on your behavior moving forward? Did the exchange affect your relationship with the person thanking you? What about your relationship with the company in general?

63% of employees who are acknowledged for the work they do are unlikely to look for a new job. Expressing gratitude at work takes relatively little effort, but it can create an incredibly memorable professional experience. Knowing that you did a good job is one thing, having a colleague call out your great work takes the experience to another level.

Business objectives can sometimes feel at odds with an enjoyable employee experience. Employee acknowledgment, however, is a practice that effortlessly supports both.

From this Process Street article, you’ll learn how employee acknowledgment simultaneously caters to your organization’s business objectives. You’ll also learn how to meet the emotional needs of your employees using fantastic positive feedback loops that generate continual improvements across the board.

We say employee acknowledgment is a smart initiative a company can adopt – but before you take our word for it, allow us to explain why.

Click on the relevant subheader below to jump to your section of choice, alternatively scroll down to read all we have to say.

• What is employee acknowledgment?
• Employee acknowledgment and its effects on workplace psychology
• How employee acknowledgment benefits employee wellbeing
• The organizational benefits of employee acknowledgment
• Use Process Street for your employee acknowledgment strategy

Let’s jump to it!
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Nouman provides ghostwriting and copywriting services. His educational background in the technical field and business studies helps him in tackling topics ranging from career and business productivity to web development and digital marketing. He occasionally writes articles for carpet cleaning.

Working from home has become the new normal. However, it can be difficult to ensure productivity when you work at home.

Although the concept of a traditional office is no more, we all require a dedicated workspace to get things done.

If you are having trouble staying productive while working from home, then chances are that you need to set up a home workspace that inspires productivity. Not many people realize just how important it is to have a dedicated workspace.

According to data, workspace design plays a huge role in our productivity levels.

The question is: How can you design your workspace in such a way that boosts creativity, connection, and productivity? Fortunately, this Process Street blog post is here to help. There is no need to worry as this guide will provide you with all the information you need to feel motivated to work.

When you decide to work remotely, you need to understand that it comes with a fair share of complications. The main of which involves setting up your home workspace to ensure maximum productivity. Fortunately for you, this article is here to help you get started.

• Getting started with your home workspace
• Setting up a home workspace: Top tips from a small business owner
• Setting up a home workspace: Top tips from an SEO team lead
• Setting up a home workspace: Top tips from a graphic designer
• Key takeaway: Set up the perfect home workspace to boost productivity

Let’s jump right in!
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This is a guest post by Romi Catauta at Toptal. Catauta works in the marketing field and is passionate about writing on web design, business, interior design, and psychology.

Did you know that 53% of developers said working remotely was a priority when looking for a new job?

Finding the right developers to add to your team can be one of the most challenging hiring tasks for your HR department. It’s a cut-throat market, with smart companies steering top talent away from competitors.

And when you consider most developers are looking for remote-based work, this makes developer onboarding a whole different ballgame.

To help, we at Process Street give you our top tips, tricks, and best practices that’ll help you identify, hire, and retain talented remote developers.

Whether you’re wondering how to hire a CSS developer, a full stack developer, or anything in between, this guide will help you find the perfect candidate for the job.

We at Process Street know a thing or two about remote work. The below advice has is therefore tried, tested, and approved as best practice.

What are you waiting for?

Click on the relevant subheader to jump to the section of choice, or scroll down for all.

• What is developer onboarding?
• Hiring remote developers: The advantages, drawbacks, and solutions
• The remote developer onboarding process with 11 onboarding best practices

Let’s get started!
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