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Comment by pc86 | Hacker News Reader

Can you imagine the flip-side of the anti-remote argument if the manager was remote and the team wasn't?

"What do you mean I got a bad performance review? My boss isn't even here."

There's some coworkers of mine like that. They report to someone remotely, or they're responsible for a team that is entirely remote from them. Your metrics for success have to be a lot more thought out, and there's always frequent interaction between you and your manager. It's not for everyone, but generally the people that are on these remote teams aren't new hires, but rather experienced people that have proven their ability to execute over time. They're normally on the teams investigating organizational pain points and doing strategic initiatives.

I'd like to think "pretty far" but it definitely depends on the organization. For freelancing, you might have to put in a bit of face time, but nothing's stopping you from charging very high rates and doing part of the work remotely.

Remote management works in some scenarios, but needs commitment from both the team and the manager to make it work. Additionally, the goals should be clearly defined and communicated, so that there are no surprises.

It is hard to make it work, but is very beneficial and can be a competitive advantage when you get it right. Hey, you can now hire top talent regardless of geographical boundaries!

The solution is simple. Hire a proxy with a head cam.

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