Remotely Happy
Jude Shrimpton | March 2025
REMOTE WORK • TEAM CULTURE • TECHNOLOGY
As a leader, I’ve managed teams and businesses in both traditional offices and, now, in a fully remote setting with Bright Lights. In this article I want to explore the difference between the two work environments, and consider the challenges unique to managing a remote business. In particular I want to try to answer the question: In a fully remote organisation, can both leaders and teams be remotely happy?
Context
When Covid hit in 2019 the working world experienced a seismic shift with working from home becoming the new norm for many. A 2024 Forbes report shows that prior to the pandemic only 4.7% of the UK workforce ever worked from home, rising to 46.6% by April 2020. We’ve since seen a slow creep towards hybrid working or, increasingly, a mandatory return to the office either full or part-time - witnessing a significant dive in fully remote working. Between 22 May and 2 June 2024, working arrangements among UK workers were as follows (ONS):
Only worked from home: 14% (compares to 38% in June 2020)
Travelled to work and worked from home: 26%
As an unintended experiment, home working has been an interesting one producing polarised results. Some organisations have found that remote or hybrid working delivers benefits to the workforce and business alike; aiding motivation, staff wellbeing and retention whilst also improving productivity and efficiency. Yet others have found the lack of accountability difficult to work with and, worse, discovered staff taking on second and third jobs whilst ‘working’ the first, or found their privacy, GDPR and business security measures no longer quite hold up.
More commonly bosses have found that, despite some benefits, the team is more disparate, engagement has dipped, the office lacks buzz and creativity, and the flow of knowledge sharing has reduced to an intermittent drip.
It’s perhaps not surprising then that BreakingViews evidence suggests a mismatch between what workers and employers want, citing “Job market stats from LinkedIn August [2024] indicate that the share of remote job postings on LinkedIn in Europe, Middle East, and Africa fell by 11% compared to a year ago whilst the share of applicants seeking remote jobs increased by nearly 17% over the same period”.
So, if employees CAN be remotely happy, can their leaders too?
I realise I’m putting words into the mouths of the Bright Lights team but, as a fully remote company from the outset, I’d like to say ‘YES’. There are some caveats of course, not least of all how we all choose to define ‘happy’ and to what degree ‘happiness’ is or isn’t aligned to team and business success.
My own career started at Haymarket Publishing followed by NOP then Taylor Nelson Sofres - all huge corporations with thousands of employees littering vast open plan offices. Haymarket was a true baptism of fire for a 21 year old but we worked and played hard and got pushed and dragged to doing more and better and more and better - It was all about drive and growth and results and, if you didn’t deliver, you were out. As a concept ‘wellbeing’ hadn’t even been conceived and employee ‘happiness’, in the main, didn’t matter. BUT, whilst it was a tough environment, it was a very sociable time too with us all piling into the local pubs more regularly than was healthy and forming friendships for life.
That environment worked for me and I thrived. I’m a firm believer that much is learned, resolved, laughed at, gossiped and moaned about, both in and out of the office - all perfectly normal, healthy worker behaviour - and all distinctly lacking in a geographically disparate, remote work environment.
Office Vs Remote: Chalk and cheese or Cheddar and Stilton?
While my own early career was driven by company culture and expectation, I've realised that success and growth isn’t just about being pushed or pulled in the workplace. It can be as simple as sitting next to someone who inspires you, gaining knowledge and confidence seemingly by osmosis, and having a leader who observes, recognises and nurtures your talent and interests.
In the right office environment it’s easy to learn and grow almost without noticing. In a remote setting this is all so much harder.
In our case, the Bright Lights team is scattered across all corners of the UK (except Scotland as I write). This makes it costly and impractical for in-person meetings and so, despite working (virtually) day in, day out together, there are still members of the team whom none of us has actually met.
Therein lies one of the key challenges of remote working. Yes, we’re communicating one way or another regularly but how well can you really know your colleagues or lead a team with that lack of personal connection? There are far more questions than answers.
How can you build trust?
How can you develop each individual's strengths and support anything they’re struggling with?
How can you engender a strong team culture, or create goals and shared aspirations?
How can you ensure quality and consistency when you can’t see how someone works?
How can you tell if someone is up or down, motivated or bored?
How can you know if they’re browsing the job listings?
How can you know if they’re truly happy (and does it matter)?
I could go on…
Of course, leading a remote OR office based team share many other common challenges. But, where there is a natural transparency when office based, answering the kind of questions unique to a remote business takes a thoughtful, proactive strategy combining real effort and commitment, strong communications, kindness and sensitivity. It isn’t easy and in some instances isn’t even possible. Above all it isn’t for everyone - leader or worker.
How we make it work at Bright Lights
Whether leader or worker, we all experience the physical and mental challenges of remote work, such as feeling isolated, screen fatigue, eye strain and, sometimes, frustrating communication delays. Likewise we all share the benefits of no commuting costs or time and an inherently more flexible way of working. We’re definitely not perfect but we have successfully created a strong culture where, collectively, we support each other, prioritise wellbeing and continually strive to make things better for our clients and our team. We’ve had to work hard to find a balance between flexibility and structure; Refining our workflows to ensure efficiency, creating a library of ‘How to’ demos and guides, using Zoom as both a professional and social space and fostering collaboration to build resilience and engender a sense of ‘team’. One thing is sure; we simply couldn’t function without Slack, Trello and Google Workspace!
So, with 5 years under our belt we are still and will forever be a work in progress but that keeps it interesting. I’m very proud of our team and, together we manage to make it work pretty well. I hope I’m not speaking out of turn when I say, yes, with the right business model, careful planning, strong infrastructure, a supportive culture, and the right team, I do believe it is possible for leaders AND workers to be remotely happy!
Key Considerations for Running a Remotely Happy Business
Alignment with Remote Work: Not every business is suited to fully remote working. We are both a small business and a service provider - a combination which perhaps aligns more comfortably to remote working than other business models. Interrogate and adapt your business model for remote fit.
Technology and Infrastructure: Invest in robust tools for communication (e.g., Slack, Zoom), collaboration (e.g., Trello, Asana), and document sharing and workflow management (e.g., Google Workspace, One Drive, Monday.com).
Clear Communication and Processes: Standardise processes, define workflows, set clear expectations, and document procedures to ensure consistency. Establish guidelines for meetings, message response times, and preferred tools to avoid miscommunication.
Culture and Engagement: Build a culture of trust where employees have ownership of their work and are judged on value delivered and outcomes.
Team Building: Organise virtual events, encourage casual communication, and promote inclusivity to maintain team cohesion.
Employee Well-Being: Support mental health with flexible schedules, prioritise wellness, celebrate milestones and create opportunities for social interaction (even if virtual).
Recruitment and Onboarding: Hire for fit. One of the real bonuses for remote businesses is the availability of a vast talent pool. So look for candidates who are comfortable with remote work and skilled in self-management. Provide clear introductions to tools, processes, and (importantly) company culture to set up new hires for success.
Productivity and Accountability: Articulate company and/or team goals and expectations. Depending on your business model, use OKRs or similar frameworks to define and track individual and team goals. Focus on deliverables and provide regular performance feedback. Schedule 1:1s and team meetings to address challenges and keep everyone aligned.
Flexibility and Adaptability: Adopt flexible working policies to suit your business and your team, enabling collaboration without burnout. Regularly review processes and gather feedback to refine the remote model.
Tools for Collaboration and Innovation: According to your business use brainstorming platforms or virtual whiteboards (e.g., Miro, MURAL) for creative collaboration. Maintain a centralised knowledge base for easy access to learning materials and company information. Where relevant, leverage AI for tasks like meeting summaries, planning, workflow automation, and customer support.
Compliance and Legal Considerations: Again, these will vary according to the nature of your business and whether you are operating internationally or not. Ensure compliance with employment laws in different regions. Understand tax obligations for remote employees across various jurisdictions and adhere to data protection regulations such as GDPR or CCPA.
By addressing these considerations, my view is that businesses can thrive in a fully remote environment while also fostering productivity, innovation, and employee satisfaction.
If you would like support with any aspect of setting up and running your remote business please reach out via our contact form.