The office at 140 Hawthorne went on the market after CEO Matt Mullenweg came to the realization not enough employees used it. As he explained on the Stack Overflow podcast earlier this year:
We got an office there about six or seven years ago, pretty good lease, but nobody goes in it. Five people go in it and it’s 15,000 square feet. They get like 3,000 square feet each. … There are as many gaming tables as there are people.
Automattic has always given its 550 employees the choice of working remotely; the San Francisco space was an optional co-working space, spokesman Mark Armstrong said. The company maintains similar offices in Cape Town, South Africa, and outside Portland, Maine, and gives employees a $250-a-month stipend if they want to use commercial co-working offices elsewhere. And if they’d rather work at Starbucks, Automattic will pay for their coffee.

While Automattic fervently embraces remote working, other companies have gotten cold feet. In 2013, Marissa Mayer, then the CEO of Yahoo, famously ended the company telecommuting policy, telling employees in a memo from HR that for the best results “we need to be working side-by-side.”
More recently, IBM—a pioneer of remote working—told thousands of US employees they’ll need to begin working in offices. The goal is to make the company’s workforce more nimble and, similar to Yahoo’s aim, to foster creativity through working “shoulder-to-shoulder.” But to employees who have built a life around working from home, IBM’s still-theoretical productivity gains come as small consolation.
About a quarter of US employees work remotely all or some of the time, according to Gallup. There’s evidence that these employees work longer hours than their office-bound colleagues. But it can come with costs.
Elastic, a software company, has no headquarters and 500 employees in about 35 countries. To build a common culture, the company brings them together periodically, flying hundreds of engineers to the US or Europe to meet twice a year, said CEO Shay Banon. When employees don’t know each other, and their only interactions are via email, text, or messaging services like Slack, “disputes can blow up very quickly,” Banon said. “If you don’t see facial expressions, you miss cues.”
To prevent conflicts from escalating, Elastic maintains a constant video channel. “One of the rules we have is when something gets to a boiling point, go to video and chat it out,” he said.

June 12, 2017

​Far from compromising your commitment to your career, having a family can unearth the motivation to start a new business, or to grow an existing one.

While expanding your business might be the furthest thing from your mind in the bewildering days following childbirth, being a parent can actually be good for business. A recent survey of 1,500 small business owners, conducted by Yell Business, found that 79% of parents consider their business to be “very successful” and “quite successful” compared with 67% of non-parents.

The reasons for this are threefold, says Alexis Kingsbury, who founded the Parentpreneur Accelerator last year. He says that first off, your definition of success changes. “With parentpreneurs, it doesn’t need to become a billion dollar enterprise,” he explains, adding that goals can shift to “a good income, financial freedom and ability to spend time with family”.

The tech helping us work together wherever we are
​By Padraig Belton, Technology of Business reporter on BBC (Link)

Imagine working for a company staffed by people you never meet in person.
This is the new type of organisation cloud computing is helping to create - amorphous, geographically spread and collaborative. Take rLoop, for example - a design collective aiming to develop pods for the futuristic high-speed transport concept called the Hyperloop.
The non-profit team comprises 400 people, but only nine have physically met.

Read the full article on bbc.co.uk here ...

1) We can adapt our expectations, plans and strategies in an instant.
2) We can get more done in a childless hour than most non-parents can do in a day.
3) We Care.
4) We are top class negotiators.
5) We are innovative.
6) We have stamina.
7) We own multitasking.
8) We are unflappable.
9) We know what’s important.
10) We love to learn.

Please click here or on the screenshot above to read Emma's post. It's well worth it.

We all know what telecommuting is and who does it. It’s working from home (or maybe a Starbucks), and it’s usually done by someone in their 20s, or a mother with small children.
Well, no. Actually, the typical telecommuter is a 49-year-old college graduate — man or woman — who earns about ...

This article is actually from March 2014 and well worth a read:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/08/your-money/when-working-in-your-pajamas-is-more-productive.html

Maybe the breaking point was when you were pushing and shoving your way onto a too-crowded train just to spend the next hour sandwiched between two hygiene-deficient fellow commuters; or maybe it was your micromanaging boss breathing down your neck as you began your workday (again) — in any case, you've decided that you’ve had enough of commuting. You’re not alone: currently one in five workers in the U.S. telecommutes, and you could soon join their ranks.

Ready to ditch your killer commute for good? Here are five ways to find a job at a completely virtual company — and say hello to some sweet work-life balance.

Tips for snagging a telecommuting job

1. Revamp your resume and make it relevant

Like most resumes, yours boasts all of your previous accomplishments and accolades. But in order to land a telecommuting position, you’ll need to showcase the skills and work experiences that highlight your ability to work from home. For example, you’ll want to highlight your ability to work independently, your superior communication skills and your adeptness with the online tools and sharing programs that remote workers frequently use. 

2. Be specific in your search

The job listing you just came across looks great — but does it explicitly state that it’s a telecommuting position? Unless a job posting specifically states that it's a remote job, there’s a good chance it's not. Stay strategic in your job hunt by solely focusing on companies that will allow you to work from home. Use keywords like "virtual job" or “remote job” to help target your search. But since there are almost 100 job scams for every true work-from-home position, check out the company before sending in your application.

3. Connect with companies online

Once you’ve decided what kind of job you’d like to have, it’s time to start doing a little digging. Look for companies that are completely virtual and also align with what you’d like to do in your career. Then, reach out to them via social media. Follow them on Twitter, connect with them via LinkedIn and like their companies’ Facebook pages as well. Be engaging by participating in online discussions and offering your knowledge and expertise on the topic at hand. This can help you forge a connection with the company before reaching out to a hiring manager to inquire about a position.

4. Be prepared at home

You dream of the day when you can work all day in your PJs and fluffy slippers. Until then, you’ll need to set the stage for success. Create a home office (even an attic, closet or a corner of your bedroom will do, as long as it’s a dedicated workspace) and make sure that your office equipment is in good working order. If you don’t already have it, get the fastest Internet connection possible, as slow Internet speeds can be a telecommuter’s worst nightmare.

5. Be proactive

Let’s say that you’ve been on the job hunt for a while, and, well, nada. It doesn’t hurt to reach out to a targeted number of companies (no more than 10-15) and offer your services. Assess the company’s overall standing and see where you might fit into their workflow. Maybe they are in desperate need of a better public relations person, or a dedicated social media manager. Craft a customized cover letter detailing how much you’d like to work for the organization, and how your skill set, knowledge and experience make you an ideal fit.

 .....