Here are the slides from the talk that I delivered at LAST Conference on the 19th and 20th of July 2018. It's never been easier to work and collaborate with people anywhere in the world. That's really important as ways of working evolve, because not all of the best talent is located in the one place. In this session I shared some insights into our hybrid remote friendly way of working at Envato. As well as some tips for people and teams working remotely.

1. Working together
from anywhere
Jay Hyett
Delivery Coach
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2. > 10,000,000 registered users Community have earned > $600M
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4. What this talk will cover
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● Why you should consider remote
or flexible working options.
● Types of remote working.
● Team structure at Envato.
● Alignment beyond teams.
● Tools to support remote working.
● Tips for working remotely.
● Tips for working with remote
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5. Why you should consider remote or flexible working options
Not all of the best talent is located
in the same place.
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6. Why you should consider remote or flexible working options
Work-life balance
● Parents returning to work
● Commitments outside of work
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7. Why you should consider remote or flexible working options
Work when it’s best for you
● Some people are early bird
some are night owls
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8. Why you should consider remote or flexible working options
Autonomy to pick your working
environment.
● What type of work are you
doing and where is it best to
do it?
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9. Why you should consider remote or flexible working options
Traffic - we’re all part of it but you
can help cut it down.
● If you don’t need to travel
then don’t.
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10. Why you should consider remote or flexible working options
Real Estate Cost
● You don’t need to pay for
space your not using.
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11. Types of remote working
Outsource - sending
work to an external
third party.
Distributed -
members of the same
team that are not co-
located.
Working from
home.
Working from
anywhere -
location
independent.

12. Types of remote working
Hybrid - a mixed approach and the Envato way.
● Outsource our Help Desk.
● Distributed people and teams across
Australia and the world.
● Work from HQ.
● Work from home.
● Work from anywhere*.
(* = up to 3 months per year)

13. Team structure at Envato

14. Team structure at Envato
Product Delivery Team
Delivery Lead Product Lead Engineer(s)
Envato teams work to the same two week sprint cadence
across the board.
All teams start and end their sprints at the same time.
Teams generally have:
● Sprint Planning
● Daily Stand-up
● Backlog Grooming
● Retrospective
Teams generally don’t have:
● A physical team wall
● A co-located team space
People can sit anywhere in HQ, or WFH, or WFA.

15. Tools to support remote collaboration
Trello = team boards, including W.I.P and backlogs
Mural = remote friendly whiteboard, used for inception,
workshops, design sprints, planning, etc..
GroupMap = remote friendly retrospective and workshop tool.

16. Tools to support remote collaboration
Slack = real time and asynchronous communication.
Screenhero by Slack = pairing practice.
G-Suite = live working documents and video chat (hangouts).
Video conference = large workshop or all company sessions.

17. Tools to support remote collaboration

18. Alignment beyond teams
All Hands - Fortnightly

19. Alignment beyond teams
Group Alignment Day(s) -
Quarterly

20. Alignment beyond teams
Launch Wall - Twice a week

21. Alignment beyond teams
Stand About -
Once a sprint.

22. Alignment beyond teams
Demopalooza - Once a sprint.

23. Alignment beyond teams
Hack Week -
Twice a year

24. Disclaimer
This works for us
Tips for working remotely
Perception of
working from
home… it’s all
PJ’s and Netflix

25. Tips for working remotely
● Plan your day
○ Set a schedule just like you would in the office.
○ Do you have meetings?
○ When is your focus time?
● Dress like you’re going to work
○ Prepare like you’re going to the office e.g. have a shower, get dressed.
○ Make it feel different to domestic life (if you’re working from home).
● Be as visual as possible
○ In particular if you’re connecting with team mates e.g. turn on your camera.
● Work out loud
○ Communicate your movements e.g. I’m going to focus and will be offline for an hour.
○ Share your progress e.g. ask someone to review your work.
○ If you’re using Slack use your presence emoji’s.

26. Tips for working remotely
● Avoid back to back meetings
○ You’ll find yourself sitting in the same place for hours.
○ No moving from meeting to meeting = no mental refresh.
○ Try scheduling meetings for 5 past and close at 5 to the hour.
● Take breaks - it’s ok to
○ Have lunch.
○ Exercise.
○ Make use of the flexibility.
● Experience new things
○ Try out a new environment e.g. a co-working space, a park, a cafe.
○ A change of scene may give you a fresh idea or perspective.

27. Tips for working remotely
● Know when to stop - don’t burn out.
○ Working long hours isn’t sustainable.
○ Create a finish line for your day - “Daily Retro”

28. Tips for working with people remotely
● Work Agreement

29. ● Different time zones
○ Asynchronous updates and how frequently you can meet face to face.
○ Record sessions.
○ Explore feedback loops.
○ Alternate between Fahrenheit and Celsius.
○ Bring people to the office.
● If one person is remote then everyone is remote.
○ Digital boards, live documents, photos of boards or whiteboards.
○ Look for signals in video chats - does someone want to speak?
○ Ask questions and include remotes.
○ Turn your video on as it increases engagement.
○ Include remote people in decision making.
● If facilitating, slow down.
○ Give people space to answer and ask questions.
Tips for working with people remotely

30. ● Get an insight into their world.
○ Show you where they live.
○ Take you outside for a tour.
○ Photos of their workspace.
○ Meet their family or pets.
● Celebrate like you would in the
office.
● Team lunch “in”
○ Book a meeting room, bring your
lunch or have coffee.
● Virtual Water Cooler
Tips for working with people remotely

31. That’s a wrap and references.
It’s never been easier to step into the world of remote working. The technology
is available and in most cases free or low cost to start.
The decision to make the change can be the hardest part so:
Start small, try things, adapt, learn, build trust.

32. Visit Envato
121 King Street
Melbourne

33. Remote Friendly
Lean Coffee
Once a month
Check out Melbourne Lean
Coffee on Meetup.com

34. We’re hiring
https://envato.com/careers/

35. Thanks!
Twitter: @jhyett
jay.hyett@envato.com
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