Distributed Working

Welcome to distributed work at Glitch! We strive to create a culture where our distributed employees feel just as connected as if we were all working in an office together. This guide will help integrate you into our work culture and help prepare you for distributed worklife by outlining a) physical and technical requirements for your workspace, b) our expectations of you during work hours, and c) ways to stay connected to Glitch culture even while remote.

If you’re an HQ employee we recommend reading this section to gain insight and understanding into the distributed work experience and the unique challenges your distributed colleagues face. This guide also provides useful information to you if you need to work remotely for an extended period of time.

What You'll Need:

A consistent, quiet work space for your home office where you can work quietly and uninterrupted. In special circumstances, co-working spaces may be used, but this accommodation must be approved by the Operations Team.
A reliable internet connection. You should be able to easily participate in video calls wherever you’re working. If you’re not sure if your internet connection will be sufficient, please talk to us so we can work it out.

What We Will Provide:

Glitch will provide you with necessary equipment for your office. This includes: a comfortable and adjustable chair, a height-adjustable desk, a computer, additional monitors, a headset, a keyboard, a mouse, a laptop stand, a USB hub, and additional cables. If you find you're in need of anything else, you can request it on the equipment requests app and we’ll send it to you directly.
A $100/month stipend for office expenses (such as internet, paper, pens, etc.)

Work hour Expectations

Major domestic responsibilities should occur outside your working hours, or you should use time off for things like doctor's appointments and other obligations. It's totally okay to use your time off to handle tasks you need to do during the day, but just make sure to communicate about it.
You and your manager must set your work hours, communicate them to your team, and you must be available during that time frame. This helps your team know when they can count on you. If you need an accommodation or flexibility, be sure to communicate about any change in schedule with your lead and your team members.
Try to keep your status in tools like Slack up-to-date so others know you're reachable. People often update the #aquarium channel if they're going to be stepping away for a short while or are off to an appointment; it gives everyone a nice ambient awareness of who's "out of the office" for a bit.

Communication & Culture:

We have certain expectations for communication within the company. See our internal communications guide here.

Getting To Know Your Co-workers

Because you won't ever just run into one of your colleages walking down the hallway and strike-up a conversation, it's even more important for you to make time to get to know your coworkers. To that end, we encourage you to take advantage of the more casual conversations in channels like #music #food #pets #nyc or #industry

Advice From Distributed Workers

Setting aside some time to get fresh air and a bit of exercise can go a long way in keeping you focused and healthy!
Take advantage of the social and relationship-building options. They are a great way to stay connected to the overall Glitch culture and to meet some awesome people.
Set up explicit standards with the people you share your living/working space with about when you can be interrupted, using signals like closing a door or having headphones on, etc. This way, it is clear to household members when you're working and shouldn't be disturbed.