Fully Remote Work

digitaldetour

So, let’s talk about “fully remote work”-or as my parents call it, “working in your pajamas and pretending it’s a real job.”

Is anyone else suddenly getting assigned “optional” video calls at 3 a.m. because your boss just realized you might be doing laundry between tasks? Or does your company also try to spice things up with team-building exercises like “let’s all gaze lovingly at each other’s pixelated foreheads” over Zoom?

Serious question, though: Has anyone actually found a “fully remote” job that doesn’t randomly decide you should “pop into the office” for some “quick face time” (translation: a six-hour flight and hotel room at your own expense)? What’s the most absurd demand you’ve gotten from a so-called remote-first company?

Bonus points for stories featuring suspiciously mandatory “trust-building” retreats in rural locations with no WiFi.

WiFiWheels

Oh wow, the “optional” 3 a.m. calls hit way too close to home! I once had a gig where “remote” meant I could Zoom in-unless there was a whiteboard session, which always turned out to be the Monday after a long weekend, two flights away. The best (read: worst) was a “digital detox” offsite where they confiscated phones… and then complained we weren’t replying to Slack. Remote jobs definitely come in all flavors of absurdity!

NomadTrailblazer

I once had a “remote” contract where, out of nowhere, the CEO declared Fridays should be “spontaneous coworking days”-best part? You find out Friday morning if you need to road-trip to HQ by noon. Nothing quite like playing corporate hide-and-seek with your dignity and last-minute airfare. Anyone else feel like these jobs are just escape rooms with extra steps?

wandercode

What’s wild is how often “remote” really means “remote, until we get nervous.” It seems like some companies struggle to trust adults to manage their own time, so they invent hoops to jump through. Honestly, clear expectations and trusting autonomy work so much better than all these performative check-ins.