Remote work works great in the early days when everyone has their head buried deep in code and most of the team is scattered around the globe. But let's not forget how we homosapiens evolved - via collaborative face to face group interaction. It's like Facebook wont replace the real human touch component of building friendships and staying connected. Remote work will not be the shape of work to come.
When the team starts to expand you need human interaction. People need to engage in debates, intense debates that spark creativity and get to feel the energy in the room. That energy is the driving force which aligns everyone for the same common mission. Quarterly team assemblies are always great, as we revive the power of being in touch on a human level. Not 1s and 0s.
Cloud tools are great to exchange information but not to grow a company, culture and keep the fire fueled for a very long time. There are exceptions (outliers) but let's not use those since we know that to draw conclusions from data we need statistically significant sample of data.
Saying this, work environments are changing and need to change to allow a piece of isolation (just like meditation provides) and a piece of connection (that human component). All wrapped up in a flexible schedule so employees do not feel like prisoners.
As I get older I tend to be more selective of who I would like to share my time with. I'd rather make connections with my family and friends than my co-workers. For me it's just a job. It's not summer camp.
I'm certain creativity and collaboration don't require any phantom energy in a room of people to happen. The majority of people who build open source software have never met. And in projects like Apache, OpenStack, Mozilla and what-not there are thousands of contributors at every level.
I contribute to projects with people whom I've only talked with on IRC and through commit logs and code reviews. It hasn't stopped any of us.
I think you're mistaken that there is some evolutionary heritage that requires us to be in person in order to effectively collaborate.
I'm not sure your link is relevant to him as he said he does not want to see too much his colleagues so he can see more his family and his friends. Therefore, he is not alone.
You're right on the button. I spend more quality time with people who have a meaningful impact on my life. It isn't a lonely life. I feel much more enriched by having the privilege and opportunity to be so selective.
Growing up I know my parents were forced to work and commute by necessity. They made friends at work because those were the people they were forced to spend their most time with and that's what most people do in that situation. It's not useful or necessary and it takes away from the time they could have spent with their real friends and family.
I'm friendly and professional with my co-workers. We get along. However at the end of the day our relationship is ephemeral in the grand scheme of life. In a few years they or I will leave the company and it's not like we're going to be sitting on the porch together when we're 80 and remembering, "the good old days." (Outliers not withstanding).
When the team starts to expand you need human interaction. People need to engage in debates, intense debates that spark creativity and get to feel the energy in the room. That energy is the driving force which aligns everyone for the same common mission. Quarterly team assemblies are always great, as we revive the power of being in touch on a human level. Not 1s and 0s.
Cloud tools are great to exchange information but not to grow a company, culture and keep the fire fueled for a very long time. There are exceptions (outliers) but let's not use those since we know that to draw conclusions from data we need statistically significant sample of data.
Saying this, work environments are changing and need to change to allow a piece of isolation (just like meditation provides) and a piece of connection (that human component). All wrapped up in a flexible schedule so employees do not feel like prisoners.