Managing a Remote Team of Engineers  ## Metadata - Author: [[Ladybug Podcast]] - Full Title: Managing a Remote Team of Engineers - Category: #podcasts - URL: https://share.snipd.com/episode/c449ffab-90a2-4024-93af-49d9df620768 ## Document Notes > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: [remote-work, engineering-management, communication] > author: [MISSING] > source: Ladybug Podcast > reference: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0] > date created: {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}} {{time:HH:mm}} > > # 🏷️ Title: Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers > <!-- deep-read:sections start --> ## 🧰 Action Inbox - [H1] Publish a performance-documentation template — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0 #articleseed - [H2] Draft a “trust + rituals” starter guide — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0 #articleseed - [H3] Ship a “ways-of-working” worksheet — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0 #xref - [H4] Standardize 1:1 agenda notes in Lattice — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0 #xref - [H6] Create a remote-celebration playbook — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0 #share - [H8] Add pairing-and-reviews weekly cadence — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0 #articleseed - [H9] Write a boundary-setting checklist for managers — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0 #aphorisms - [H10] Define a conflict-escalation protocol — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0 #addendum - [H11] Require remote-first practices on hybrid teams — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0 #articleseed - [H12] Share active-listening resources with leads — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0 #share ## 🧭 Table of Contents - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#️-notes) - [📚 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#️-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🛡️ DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### 🔗 References - Include links cited in or relevant to the article. ## 📝 Summary - Two engineering managers share remote team practices. - They stress trust, documentation, and explicit communication norms. - Stakeholders include managers, engineers, HR, and cross-functional partners. - Risks include burnout, time-zone bias, and conflict escalation. - Bottom line: remote success needs clear rituals and humane boundaries. (Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) ## 📖 Main Content - Set expectations early. Document performance and behavior consistently. - Build trust through reliable 1:1s, clear channels, and follow-through. - Use Slack for async updates. Reserve video for high-stakes topics. - Celebrate wins intentionally. Run inclusive social rituals on schedules. - Protect balance. Model boundaries and schedule messages when needed. - Handle conflict live. Prefer face-to-face over text for tone. - Hybrid requires remote-first processes to avoid exclusion. - Provide resource routes for mental health support, not therapy. (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) ### 🗒️ Notes #### ⏱️ [00:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=2) Promotions and paper trails ### [H1] Document performance early and often > [!quote] [Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) by an unnamed author via [[Ladybug Podcast]]. Published [MISSING]. Accessed {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}. > “document everything early and often.” Performance evidence supports promotions and fairness. HR needs specifics. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=2) #articleseed ID:yt_0002 #### ⏱️ [03:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=194) Foundations ### [H2] Remote management requires trust and clarity > [!quote] [Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) > “successfully running … requires a lot of trust in open communication.” Publish norms for sync and async channels. Revisit them quarterly. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=194) #articleseed ID:yt_0314 #### ⏱️ [04:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=266) Team norms ### [H3] Define expectations and rituals explicitly > [!quote] [Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) > “All of those rituals need to be established early on.” Codify standups, statuses, and response windows. Reduce ambiguity. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=266) #xref ID:yt_0426 #### ⏱️ [06:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=402) Channels ### [H4] Use Slack async; reserve video for big news > [!quote] [Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) > “I definitely prefer written communication… For bigger conversations … prefer one-on-ones.” Protect context in writing. Deliver sensitive updates live. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=402) #xref ID:yt_0642 #### ⏱️ [09:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=595) Cadence ### [H5] Keep one-on-ones consistent and structured > [!quote] [Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) > “I’m pretty … strict about my one-on-ones.” Use agendas, shared notes, and action owners. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=595) #xref ID:yt_0955 #### ⏱️ [12:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=720) Records ### [H6] Celebrate achievements intentionally and remotely > [!quote] [Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) > “you should always make an effort to recognize and celebrate…” Plan inclusive events. Rotate time slots and hosts. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=720) #share ID:yt_1200 #### ⏱️ [19:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=1150) Collaboration ### [H8] Pairing and code reviews strengthen teams > [!quote] [Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) > “pairing … and review PRs together.” Schedule weekly pairing blocks. Track diffusion of knowledge. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=1150) #articleseed ID:yt_1910 #### ⏱️ [22:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=1369) Burnout ### [H9] Model boundaries to prevent overwork > [!quote] [Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) > “I need to schedule messages…” Leaders set norms. Use delayed send and quiet hours. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=1369) #aphorisms ID:yt_2249 #### ⏱️ [29:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=1788) Conflict ### [H10] Resolve conflict face-to-face, not in text > [!quote] [Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) > “This has to be … a face to face conversation…” Minimize tone risk. Pause, then resume with cameras on. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=1788) #addendum ID:yt_2948 #### ⏱️ [31:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=1875) Hybrid ### [H11] Hybrid teams must adopt remote-first processes > [!quote] [Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) > “hybrid teams need remote friendly processes first.” Write decisions down. Avoid hallway decisions without notes. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=1875) #articleseed ID:yt_3115 #### ⏱️ [33:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=2009) Listening ### [H12] Active listening strengthens remote relationships > [!quote] [Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) > “we’re more concerned with what we’re going to say next…” Train managers on reflective listening and summaries. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=2009) #share ID:yt_3329 ## 📚 References - Video: *Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers* — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0 - Slack — https://slack.com - Lattice — https://lattice.com - The WP Community Collective — https://thewpcommunitycollective.com *If any link is inaccessible, use the video title to search and continue.* ## 🗣️ Paraphrase - Remote leadership thrives on trust, explicit norms, and reliable 1:1s. Managers should document performance and celebrate wins intentionally. - Leaders must protect boundaries, handle conflict live, and ensure hybrid teams operate remote-first to include everyone. (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) ## 📰 Newsletter - Managing remote engineers is a craft. Two leaders share practical rituals: write expectations down, keep 1:1s sacred, and celebrate wins on purpose. Avoid Slack fights; schedule a face-to-face call. Model boundaries by delaying messages outside hours. Hybrid? Run remote-first. WordPress teams can adapt these playbooks for contributor onboarding and distributed releases. Watch the episode and share with your leads. Links: Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) • The WPCC (https://thewpcommunitycollective.com) ## ✅ Action Items #### DevRel - Publish a remote-rituals guide and 1:1 template for contributors. - Run a workshop on async updates and meeting hygiene. - Provide example agendas, templates, and message snippets. - Track adoption with pulse surveys and calendar telemetry. - Facilitate community office hours across time zones. #### OSPO - Define remote-first decision policies and documentation SLOs. - Standardize incident rotations by region and fair load. - Provide manager training for conflict and boundary setting. - Maintain an inventory of team agreements and owners. - Report quarterly on burnout indicators and remediation. #### Community - Host pairing clinics and review mobs monthly. - Offer async engagement kits: polls, games, and playlists. - Recognize maintainers with inclusive, rotating celebrations. - Publish transparent norms for time-zone fairness. #### WordPress - Core: write decision digests after synchronous meetings. - Core Program Team: time-zone-rotated updates and demos. - Training: create “Remote 101 for Maintainers” lessons. - Documentation: add remote-first templates to Handbooks. - Accessibility: document caption and transcript expectations. - Meta: log meeting outcomes and owners in .org tools. #### The WPCC - Fund microgrants for remote-ritual toolkits and workshops. - Sponsor boundary-setting training for maintainers and leads. - Publish impact reports showing retention and burnout changes. ### FAIR - Encode remote-governance covenants as reusable artifacts. - Track provenance of decisions and conflict resolutions. - Publish scorecards for inclusion and time-zone equity. ## 🧪 Hypotheses - Remote-first rituals reduce escalations by 30% within two quarters. - Rotating on-call shifts lower burnout signals across regions. - Written decisions increase cross-time-zone velocity measurably. - Pairing blocks raise review throughput and quality metrics. ### 📊 Methodology - Instrument PR cycle times, incident loads, and 1:1 attendance. - Pre/post survey perceived inclusion and clarity of expectations. - Analyze meeting notes volume and decision latency trends. - Run pilots with A/B teams adopting these rituals. ### ❓ Questions - What is the minimal effective set of team rituals? - How often should teams revisit norms under growth or reorgs? - Which metrics best predict remote burnout early? - How can hybrid meetings remain equitable without heavy tooling? ### 🔮 Future Research - Study conflict outcomes by channel choice and timing. - Compare async ritual sets across OSS and enterprise teams. - Evaluate remote celebration formats on retention. ### 💡 Implications - Practice: publish templates and rotate facilitation. - Policy: require decision digests and quiet hours. - Security: define escalation paths and handoffs. - Education: train managers on active listening skills. - Funding: back remote-health initiatives through The WPCC. ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment - Reading level estimate: Flesch-Kincaid Grade ~10–11. #### 👀 Visual learners - Present: clear headings and structured bullets. - Improve: workflow diagrams for rituals and conflict steps. #### 🔊 Aural learners - Present: podcast-style conversation. - Improve: 3-minute audio summary per practice. #### 🗣️ Verbal learners - Present: definitions and examples in notes. - Improve: glossary of remote-team terms. #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners - Present: actionable checklists. - Improve: weekly labs to practice 1:1s and retros. #### 🧠 Logical learners - Present: cause-effect reasoning and protocols. - Improve: RACI tables for roles in rituals. #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners - Present: team games and pairing. - Improve: cohort programs for new leads. #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners - Present: templates for private planning. - Improve: self-check quizzes on norms. #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners - Present: limited discussion. - Improve: incorporate wellbeing outdoors prompts. ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment #### Screen reader semantics - Present: headings and ordered structure. - Improve: consistent landmarks in shared docs. #### Keyboard navigation - Present: Slack supports shortcuts and focus. - Improve: verify tab order in internal tools. #### Contrast and readability - Present: encourage high-contrast themes. - Improve: audit dark-mode states for 4.5:1. #### Text resizing and reflow - Present: responsive docs and notes. - Improve: test 200% zoom and reflow. #### Media and captions - Present: captions on recorded sessions. - Improve: provide transcripts and audio descriptions. #### Forms and interactions - Present: clear labels in surveys. - Improve: inline validation and larger targets. #### Standards reference - Map gaps to WCAG 2.2 AA checkpoints. ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment #### Cultural breadth - Present: multi-region considerations noted. - Improve: rotate meeting times and holidays. #### Inclusive language - Present: neutral terms and plain style. - Improve: glossary for newcomers and non-native speakers. #### Neurodiversity support - Present: predictable structures and notes. - Improve: icon+text labels and buffers before meetings. #### Representation - Present: varied roles discussed. - Improve: highlight diverse speaker examples. #### Psychological safety - Present: norms and celebration rituals. - Improve: codify escalation and anti-retaliation policies. ### ✅ Logical Validity #### Strong reasoning - [H2] Trust and clarity support delivery. It follows organizational behavior evidence. - [H9] Leader behavior shapes norms. Modeling boundaries causes healthier habits. - [H11] Remote-first processes reduce exclusion risk in hybrids. #### Fallacies - Risk of hasty generalization from limited anecdotes. Rephrase claims with scope notes. - Survivorship bias possible in celebration examples. Add varied team sizes. #### Tone of voice - Conversational, candid, and pragmatic throughout. ### 🛡️ DARVO Analysis - No denial or attack patterns observed. - No victim role reversals present. Content focuses on practices. (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) ## 🎯 Conclusion - Remote teams succeed with documented norms, steady 1:1s, and humane boundaries. - Next steps: adopt templates, rotate time-zones, and log decisions consistently. ## 🧱 Refactor Appendix (append after 🎯 Conclusion) ### 📚 Literature Split Pad - Purpose: Stage Konik CEE units that become per-source Literature notes. - Split level: **H3**. - Include verbatim quotes under 25 words and a [view highlight] link. ### [H1] Document performance early and often > [!quote] [Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) by an unnamed author via [[Ladybug Podcast]]. Published [MISSING]. Accessed {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}. > “document everything early and often.” Paper trails support promotions and HR fairness. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=2) #xref #articleseed ID:rw_[MISSING] ### [H2] Remote management requires trust and clarity > [!quote] [Managing A Remote Team Of Engineers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0) > “requires a lot of trust in open communication.” Use written norms and revisit regularly. [view highlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0&t=194) #xref ID:rw_[MISSING] --- ### 🔖 Atomic Split Pad (Zettel Candidates) - Purpose: Promote reusable claims into Atomic notes. - Split level: **H4**. - Each item: one idea, present tense, specific, testable. #### [Z1] Documented norms improve remote reliability - Teams miss fewer handoffs when norms are written. - Pointer: compare pre/post incident rates. - Links: [[Remote-Rituals]] [[Team-Agreements]] #### [Z2] Leader timing shapes team boundaries - Scheduled messages reduce after-hours replies. - Pointer: Slack metadata before/after policy. - Links: [[Manager-Playbooks]] [[Wellbeing]] --- ### ✏️ Fleeting Queue (Extract by Selection) - Purpose: Capture quick actions or sparks for Fleeting notes. - Extraction: **Select one line** → “Refactor: Extract selection to new note (content only).” - Keep each line short and self-contained. - [F1] Draft a remote-rituals checklist — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0 #fleeting #inbox - [F2] Write boundary-setting email templates — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0 #fleeting #inbox - [F3] Plan a time-zone-rotated celebration — context/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbvOvpTXF0 #fleeting #inbox <!-- deep-read:sections end --> ## Highlights - **Trust Plus Communication Foundation** - Trust and clear communication are foundational for remote engineering teams. - Establish synchronous and asynchronous rituals early to set expectations and avoid confusion. Transcript: Kelly Vaughn Yep. This is kind of how I've always approached this. Successfully running, like managing a team of remote engineers requires a lot of trust and open communication. You need to trust that your team is going to be able to deliver because you're not sitting there watching them do their work. And nor should you because they are adults and you are an adult and we should all be adults about this whole thing. But with that, you need to make sure you have very clear lines of communication set out and how you communicate synchronously, asynchronously, like all of that, all of those rituals Need to be established early on. Because if you're not super clear what the expectations are for a particular individual on your team up front, then it's going, you're going to have a bad time. ([Time 0:03:20](https://share.snipd.com/snip/e9ee9301-33d9-4680-811f-7794a4b13564)) - **Document How The Team Works** - Create a 'ways of working' doc so teammates know each other's schedules and expectations. - Define required rituals like standups and status updates to align collaboration. Transcript: Emma Bostian And I think it's not just what expectations you have with individuals on your team, but what expectations do your team have of one another? Because we talked about this in a previous episode. I don't remember which one, but we talked about like a ways of working activity or like a how to work with me doc. And this is something I definitely recommend with remote teams is like, how do we all individually work? Like, for example, I leave work at four every day because I have to go get my child from school. And other people have different things going on in their lives that they need to account for. So doing something like that is really helpful in terms of what the expectation is. Um, and even like, you know, what is the team do we expect? Right. So like I expect everybody to be at standup. Um, it's not optional or, um, I expect that if you're going to be away from your computer for longer than 45 minutes that you just post a message in Slack or at least update your status. Yep. Uh, so yeah, getting on the same page is very important. Yeah. ([Time 0:04:14](https://share.snipd.com/snip/e6a1e2d3-2236-4967-9846-dad10bd860d6)) - **Match Channel To Conversation** - Use Slack for async communication and video for big or sensitive conversations. - Keep shared notes or agendas for one-on-ones to capture outcomes and context. Transcript: Emma Bostian Exactly so how do you prefer to communicate with the team anything that's not time sensitive uh and not earth shattering like when i say that i mean like a raise or a promotion or uh a reorg Like those are like life-changing things to the short right um uh i like to use slack um to communicate asynchronously of course like if i have some news like if someone's waiting on a Promotion and i get the news like i'll ask them if they can hop on a call and I will give them context as to why, because getting the whole, hey, can you hop on a five minute call with your manager Is not fun. I definitely prefer written communication because I feel like less gets lost in translation and then you have something to refer back to. But for bigger conversations, I definitely prefer one-on over a video call and then using the agenda. Like we have a shared Google Doc that we use with notes, with any outcomes. Yeah. How about you? Kelly Vaughn Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm saying Slack is going to be where most of our communications happen. I am more than happy to hop on a quick video chat if it's just easier to explain something to me over video. Or just like huddle on Slack.. It doesn't ([Time 0:06:14](https://share.snipd.com/snip/d189215f-a932-4826-84b8-9ffaf1d0224c)) - **Structure One-On-Ones Rigorously** - Keep structured one-on-ones with agenda, action items, shared and private notes. - Use private notes to track sensitive behaviors and build a paper trail for HR when needed. Transcript: Kelly Vaughn Completely agreed. And I also follow a very specific structure for my one-on that I like. We use Lattice internally, which is a fantastic HR tool. Hashtag not sponsored. But I really like their one-on format. So there's basically a section for agenda items that I want to talk about agenda items that they want to talk about a like any kind of decisions that are made like like action items they Got that section you can assign it to the right person and then there's a shared notes section that you can both add to and then there's also a private notes section and that private notes Section is so incredibly useful to have for just keeping like track of like behaviors and other comments they make on the side like if there might be a personnel issue for example i'm Going to put it in the private section and not the shared notes section and they're getting really combative all of a sudden or if we have like a tough conversation about like how they're You know not necessarily their their performance but their behavior. Like are they getting, you know, really defensive? Are they going through something? Like I'm going to put those in the private notes because I don't need to, they don't need to see all of those. Yeah. Which has been really helpful. And, you know, I use this for like the regular one-on but I also like any kind of like ad hoc meeting as well. I'll just like pop, you know, I'll create a new one within Lattice and it looks like the regular one-on agenda, but I can just say we're talking about this topic. It has come handy. ([Time 0:09:49](https://share.snipd.com/snip/71ae8574-f759-4dab-bc1c-f9355c7ca447)) - **Document Everything Early** - Document performance patterns early and often whether positive or negative. - Keep records to support promotions or HR actions later. Transcript: Emma Bostian That's really important like we'll probably touch on this more towards the end of the season with the difficult conversations or the hard parts of the job, but you need to document things Should you notice. Well, either one way or the other, like things are going really, really well for someone and they're going to go for promotion in the next year. Document everything early and often. And if things are not going well and you've noticed it's a pattern of behavior, also document it because you will need a paper trail for HR. So, yes, having notes is very important. We love notes. ([Time 0:11:44](https://share.snipd.com/snip/1dffdbd7-7ef2-4506-902a-3906fa120f2e)) - **Be Intentional About Remote Celebrations** - Intentionally celebrate wins remotely using virtual events or shared experiences. - Schedule regular social activities so remote teammates stay connected and recognized. Transcript: Emma Bostian We love notes. Also, I think just as a note, like you should always make an effort to recognize and celebrate your achievements of your team and your individuals remotely this can be quite tricky um There are several like platforms that we've used for team building but also just to like do it like celebration like we use airbnb experiences like um if somebody gets a promotion or Does a really good job or has like a 10-year anniversary we can get together and do, I think we did like big New York style cookies with a chef or we did making pastas with the Italian grandmas Via Airbnb experiences and they were a lot of fun. That's fun. But yeah, celebrating achievements remotely can be a lot trickier, but it's just, if I would say it's more important than when you have a team in person, it's so easy to celebrate in person. Remotely takes a little bit more effort. Kelly Vaughn Yeah, I like you're right. It is. You have to be very intentional about it. ([Time 0:12:17](https://share.snipd.com/snip/ff6b6200-62ee-4c21-aff3-dc86bcf276aa)) - **Virtual Games Build Camaraderie** - Kelly runs virtual trivia, Wikipedia hopping, and escape rooms to keep teams engaged. - These games build camaraderie across time zones and make social time intentional. Transcript: Kelly Vaughn We've done the have you played like the wikipedia hopping page no where you like you have to start on a specific page and find a way to end on another specific page and see how many clicks It takes you to actually get there by clicking through the other links within wikipedia um it's so fun it's it's really fun like it's my kind of fun game um we've also done virtual escape Emma Bostian Rooms as well yeah yeah yeah we've done those too uh those are fun and then there's like another platform called luna park which i hadn't heard about before but we use it and they have like Fun games all different kinds of games like trivia or virtual escape room it's like a platform with many games on it and they come out with new ones all the time so we enjoy doing those interesting There's also a luna park in coney island apparently okay i didn't know that but we like i don't know how it is at your company but we do regular social events every two weeks on fridays with Our two other like sister teams that we work with just to make sure that all of our team members get chance to interface with one another in a fun setting. So, like, we've done GeoGuessr competitions, which is so fun. That's fun. Yeah. And every social event, so every two weeks, it's, like, one of the different teams takes on ownership of, like, we've done Fall Guys. I think that's what it's called. Kelly Vaughn Yeah, lots of different games cool yeah I like that I like finding new ([Time 0:13:26](https://share.snipd.com/snip/d3049656-d1f7-40be-90a4-2caf1135aaca)) - **Pairing And Knowledge Sharing** - Use pairing and collaborative PR reviews for complex projects and learning. - Schedule knowledge-sharing like 'Desktop University' and record sessions for an internal library. Transcript: Kelly Vaughn Other ways that you can collaborate. I think one, this is kind of getting back into work and make perhaps less fun, but like pairing. Less fun. Pairing and code reviews. Like when we're working through a very gnarly project, for example, like rebuilding authorization, this is not a project that one engineer does by themselves. And this is the kind of thing that requires a lot more people to be involved or at least one other person to be involved. And being able to pair or at least like review PRs together, it also kind of allows you to kind of build relationships with them at that same time, which I think is a really, a really helpful Thing. Also, you can just learn a lot from your peers and like how to approach problem solving. Emma Bostian Pairing is very valuable, especially remotely and especially if you have more junior team members. But also for everyone, because mental health starts to tank when you realize you're not meeting your colleagues for extended periods of time and like you're just working in isolation. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Something else that we do, we do a lot of knowledge sharing. We do this thing called Desktop University once a year. I think we've had three years in a row now. And it's essentially like two days, half day sessions where people will post like, hey, I'm interested in learning more about GraphQL or accessibility or this technology. And people can sign up to give talks for those to help people. And we record them all. Now we have an online library of all of these resources so that when we get new hires or interns or embeds come sit with us they have a library i love that ([Time 0:19:43](https://share.snipd.com/snip/3f7d041e-ab12-4f9d-b9fc-66d5dc40a487)) - **Time Zones Create Uneven Burdens** - Time zones shift incident burden to certain engineers and can create uneven workloads. - Managers must watch who handles outages and compensate or rotate responsibilities to avoid burnout. Transcript: Kelly Vaughn Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Let's kind of talk through the downsides of a remote team and what is uniquely challenging for us. But i come i commented on this earlier time zones are really tough for me because there are basically you know 12 plus hours difference from my two geographic like farthest geographically Distributed engineers that means that some people end up working together more than others um that also means that for our like our customer base is u.s centric but our engineering Team that happens to be in europe and india they're mostly offline by the time our customers are like actively using the system and that means that the burden tends to fall a little bit More on the u.s engineers to resolve bugs and outages and so on because they happen to be online the same time that the customers are online. And it gets really tough to balance that. And I have to be very cognizant as a manager to be like, okay, who is responding most to these outages as they're happening? And how can I make sure I take care of them? ([Time 0:21:33](https://share.snipd.com/snip/101f3eef-081e-496c-bf74-640b49a40078)) - **Model Healthy Boundaries** - Model and enforce boundaries by avoiding late-night messages and respecting off-hours. - Intervene when engineers overwork and explicitly encourage time off to prevent burnout. Transcript: Kelly Vaughn And with that you know there there comes a challenge with work-life balance um you know when you have people going into an office every day you can see generally when they're working And when they stop working because you know people end up leaving the office at the same time or around the same time whatever um when you're working remotely you have to be very mindful Of when your engineers are working and i'm not saying like making sure they're working short you'll occasionally have people who are like there will always be the person who takes advantage Of whatever you want but they're i'm more worried about the people who are overworking yeah i see them creating poll requests at 2 a.m their time or um like it like responding to messages On slack really late or on the weekends or, you know. And as the manager, I need to be setting an example for this. So I need to be the one who is not asking them questions late in the evening or on the morning. ([Time 0:23:22](https://share.snipd.com/snip/8a575d39-3d30-4f2f-b3e8-7dc3b190c377)) - **Support Mental Health With Clear Limits** - Check in personally with teammates who seem to be struggling and connect them with resources. - Maintain a supportive boundary: help find help but do not act as their therapist. Transcript: Emma Bostian Someone is struggling mentally or how to deal with somebody's mental health that is perhaps not in a good place remotely because often people, if you're not around them, you might not Notice that they're having a hard time. And if you do notice they're having a hard time, it can be really hard to connect virtually. Yeah. That's kind of the biggest challenge that I've had to deal with. Yeah. Kelly Vaughn It is tough. And it's something you have to be really intentional about to check in with them on a more personal level, see how they're doing. I've had team members go through some really traumatic experiences in the time that I've been managing them. And I happen to be a trained therapist, but I am not their therapist. Yeah. And that is a very important line that I need to draw to say, I am happy to have a conversation with you about this. I will help connect you with the resources you need. Also, you know, we have like our EAP for like, if you have our company insurance, you know, you can find a therapist to that as well. You know for our international team like i'm i'm more than happy to like walk them through how to find resources to get help but i am not their therapist i am their manager yeah and that Emma Bostian Line can get blurred really quickly it can and it can be really tricky but you've got that yeah you've got to be able to set boundaries yeah ([Time 0:27:04](https://share.snipd.com/snip/a944d6a0-edd2-460e-895c-e98442d1b198)) - **Handle Conflict Via Video, Not Text** - Address conflict face-to-face via video, not via text, to preserve nuance and reduce escalation. - Pause conversations when heated and reconvene after a short break to gather thoughts. Transcript: Kelly Vaughn Managing that conflict remotely becomes a lot more challenging because you can't really see them necessarily. And, you know, nuance gets lost over text. Like if you start ending your sentences in a period are you mad at me or am I just a millennial I don't know yeah and so learning how to you know have those conversations remotely is a really Important skill to build as a manager I have had situations where I mean I've i've talked about this uh and in one of our previous episodes about how difficult it was to not see eye to eye With one of our my my pms that i worked with and we don't live we live across the country from each other it's not like i can go show up to her house with like a six pack of beer and be like hey Let's hash this out that's not realistic we haven't been able to have this conversation remotely um and in my opinion i try to avoid having text-based conversations this has to be like A face-to conversation when it's actually a conflict that needs to be addressing because i don't want to i don't want to feel like i'm using slack as a crutch to like hide behind it. Do I need time at times to like gather my thoughts? ([Time 0:28:58](https://share.snipd.com/snip/de8fd1b5-7870-45ad-abe2-381ab10bda98)) - **Hybrid Teams Need Remote-First Processes** - Hybrid teams need remote-first processes or remote folks will get left behind. - Innovation flows faster face-to-face, so be deliberate about including remote teammates in ad hoc decisions. Transcript: Kelly Vaughn Yeah. And I will say, you know, since 2020, a lot of people have gotten experience managing or being on a remote team. So you should have a general idea of how this kind of works. Now, the one thing I will caution is if you have a hybrid team, some people are in office and some people are remote. You have to be so much more intentional about making sure those who are remote are being brought along. Because innovation happens at a lot faster rate face to face. This is just a known fact of humans working together. And it's really easy to make a decision when you're just like grabbing coffee as you're talking with somebody. And then you forget that not everybody is in the room for that conversation. And they can feel really left out. And so I just caution you, if you have a hybrid team where some people are in office and some people are not, make sure you're being intentional about bringing everybody along. Emma Bostian Yeah, I think my opinion is hybrid teams need remote friendly processes first. Agreed. Yeah. ([Time 0:31:01](https://share.snipd.com/snip/4559e1e1-0e1a-4881-8920-6a0fba739d31))