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Comment by ultrablack | Hacker News Reader

I love working remote, but in my current management position, it is really hard to know what people are doing.

We have 4 developers. 2 are just performing. 1 is Ok. 1 does whatever he feels like. And one seems to be focused on something else.

So, its not clearcut if remote is good or bad. It depends on the developer.

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How would this be different if they all were physically in the same office? Would you stop by their office and tell them to do what you prefer them to be doing? If so, is it not possible to tell them remotely over a Zoom call?

True, I have been managing team remotely. Its entirely depend on the developer. Some developers doesnt work in the remote. The remote is entirely trust based.

My team was entirely remote who was performing better then the team which was entirely working from office.

I agree there's somewhat more trust involved, e.g. you don't know if they go to the park for the day and just check notifications on their phone, but you still have all the performance metrics to look at. If the person is doing all their work then it might be better to let them take that day at the park when they feel like it, especially if it's a salary position then you're more expected to do a certain amount of work then to be working a certain amount of hours.

Worst case you can always ask someone "hey can you show me what you did last week?" and it should be clear if someone isn't handling their responsibilities.

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