Remote Letter #5

Hey remote workers,

I run Remote Letter weekly newsletter for remote workers. Here is the 5th issue.

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Mahatma Gandhi

Products

Revere - Note taking app for notes about people.

Cafecitos - Meet new remote workers for casual coffee calls..

Most Recommended Books - Discover the books recommended by billionaires, icons, and world-class performers.

Linkedin to Resume - Use your Linkedin to create a resume.

isBusy - Free personal status page for remote work.

News & Views

The case for going all-in on remote work
Over the past few weeks, high-profile companies, including Twitter, Facebook, and Nationwide, made headlines by announcing new policies that make remote work more available to their workforce. But conspicuously absent from the conversation is an important distinction: the difference between partially remote and fully remote organizations.

Overcoming Remote Work Challenges
The remote work model offers many obvious advantages, from lower overhead and flexible schedules to reductions in employee commuting and increases in productivity along with lower attrition rates. It also brings obvious disadvantages, such as worker loneliness and burnout.

How I spent 3 years as a global digital nomad
Three years ago today, my husband JT and I left for a gap year. But, we didn’t return to our normal lives after one year. Instead, we continued traveling and working as digital nomads. Now, three years in, I’ve lived at 243 different addresses, slept in 39 countries and flown 684,152 miles.

Fujitsu to halve office space in push for remote work amid pandemic
Fujitsu Ltd. said Monday it will halve its office space by March 2023 as it pushes for more of its 80,000 domestic employees to work remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic. The move puts the tech giant in line with major rivals Hitachi Ltd., Toshiba Corp. and Sony Corp. in expanding work-from-home arrangements to reduce the risk of developing COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

How Bali plans to reopen to tourists from September
The Indonesian island, which closed its borders and suspended its visas-on-arrival policy in March, has reported some success in managing the coronavirus outbreak with relatively low infection rates. Now the government is looking to reopen the island's most popular vacation spots to local tourists from July 9 and to international tourists from September 11, a month ahead of its initial reopening date in October.

Discussions

I have been denied travel and I don't know what to do
Tl;dr: got denied at the airport even though I had proper paperwork, no agency is able to help me and I don't know what to do.

Last day with the longest client I've ever had
It's strange to have been with a client so long, it feels almost as if I'm an employee leaving a long-time career. I have been with this client since they were a five-person start-up, and today they have 250 employees in two countries. Apart from the co-founders, I was the most senior person (literally the oldest in terms of age) there. The former HR Manager used to joke that the only one who would qualify for a long service bonus would be the freelancer (this was in early days when turnover was high).

DNs with 2+ years of experience, what was your biggest mistake and how could someone else prevent it?
Just what the title says--what have been your biggest mistakes and how could you have prevented it? Help newer folks avoid those same mistakes.

The 2020s are the Remote Work decade
The 2020s are the Remote Work decade. A few predictions of what is likely to emerge

Since covid and working-from-home happened, I've been so bored at my job that it's unbearable. How do I get myself to chill out and just do my job?
My job was never very interesting to begin with, doing data analytics work for a payroll/insurance company. However, since I've been working from home I've had absolutely no motivation to complete even the core basics of my job.

Podcasts

How to Boost Your Motivation by Using the Joy Mindset with John O’Leary (How to Be Awesome at Your Job)
In 1987, John O’Leary was a curious nine-year-old boy. Playing with fire and gasoline, John created a massive explosion in his home and was burned on 100% of his body. He was given less than a 1% chance to live. John‘s story, perspective and inspiration have inspired millions of people and 2,000 clients over the last decade.

Mental Health Awareness: Let's Talk About Mental Health (Remote Work Life)
In today's episode, I talk through how I'm attempting to build my mental resilience so join me and share your ideas too. Later this week I'll share an episode that was recorded with a mental health expert so you and your team can deal with any issues you may have around mental health at this time.

Recruiting and Remote Work in a Post-COVID World (Outside The Valley)
This week’s episode is a replay of our recent webinar Recruiting and Remote Work in a Post-COVID World. We invited remote work thought leaders to talk about how the recruiting landscape will shift in the “post-COVID” world, how remote work will play a huge role in employer branding, building the infrastructure for your remote team, and more.

You can read it online here

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