The Myth of Remote-First
Why Most Companies Never Made the Shift
💡 Remote-first isn’t just working from home—it’s a complete shift in how work happens.
The last five years have been a massive experiment in remote work. Some companies thrived. Others struggled. And now, many are pushing employees back to the office, convinced that remote work “doesn’t work.”
But here’s the truth: remote work wasn’t the problem. The problem was how companies approached it.
Most Companies Went Remote—But Never Became Remote-First
During the pandemic, companies were forced to adapt overnight. Offices shut down, Zoom calls replaced conference rooms, and Slack channels became the new hallways.
But most companies never truly became remote-first.
Instead of redesigning work for a remote world, they just took their in-office habits and moved them online. And that’s why it failed.
💬 "A bad meeting in the office is still a bad meeting on Zoom—it’s just more painful." – Ed Schaefer, Leadership Explored
The 3 Biggest Remote Work Mistakes
🔹 Bad meetings just got worse
If your in-person meetings were inefficient, unstructured, or too long, moving them online only amplified the dysfunction.
🔹 No investment in relationship-building
In an office, people bond through casual conversations and spontaneous interactions. In remote settings, those moments don’t happen unless companies intentionally create them.
🔹 Lack of documentation
In an office, it’s easy to rely on hallway conversations and tribal knowledge. In remote teams, if something isn’t documented, it doesn’t exist.
What Actually Makes Remote Work Successful?
✅ Intentional communication – Leaders must rethink how teams collaborate, shifting away from constant meetings to more asynchronous, structured interactions.
✅ Fixing bad meeting culture – Virtual meetings shouldn’t just be a copy-paste of in-person ones. They require better facilitation, clear agendas, and thoughtful participation.
✅ Investing in documentation – A remote-first culture means ensuring that information is accessible, organized, and easy to find. No more gatekeeping knowledge in people’s heads.
✅ Strategic in-person gatherings – Even fully remote teams benefit from meeting in person 2-3 times a year. It builds trust, reinforces culture, and sustains remote collaboration.
Listen to Episode 5: The Reality of Remote-First
In this episode of Leadership Explored, we dive into what truly separates remote-first companies from those that are just remote-by-necessity.
🎧 Listen now: www.leadershipexploredpod.com
We’d love to hear from you! What’s been your experience with remote or hybrid work? Have you seen a company actually get it right? Drop a comment and let’s talk!
#LeadershipExplored #RemoteWork #HybridWork #WorkFromAnywhere #FutureOfWork #TeamCulture