Explore every episode of the podcast 21st Century Work Life

Another episode from the season Booknotes, where Pilar shares the notes she made while reading a book, allowing new insights to emerge spontaneously behind the microphone.

In today's episode:

Part 1
Pilar shares her booknotes from: 

Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation
by Kevin Roose

Favourite highlight:

"It's on us—the people who love technology but worry about its use—to explore this adjacent possible and push for the best version of it."

Part 2
Updates from Pilar:

A fiction recommendation:

You Are Here
by David Nicholls 

The struggles writing the chapter on leadership for All the World's a Workplace.
What Pilar is learning through choir singing lessons.

pilarwrites.com
And don't forget to check out Connection and Disconnection in Remote Teams, the book!

Another episode from the season: Booknotes, where Pilar shares the notes she made while reading a book, allowing new insights to emerge spontaneously behind the microphone.

In today's episode:

Part 1
Pilar shares her booknotes from: 

Because Internet: Understanding how language is changing
by Gretchen McCulloch

Listener Roberta recommends:
It's Not Magic. The Ordinary Skills of Exceptional Leaders by John Amaechi and the fiction book: No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister.

Pilar in turn recommends Roberta Sawatzky's memoir Between here and Where? Embracing life's transitions and the novel Home Stretch by Graham Norton

And don't forget to check out Connection and Disconnection in Remote Teams, the book!

Part 2
Updates from Pilar:

The interview on The Creative Penn podcast episode 831:

How to Pivot Careers, Co-Write Books, And Stay Connected As A Remote Creative With Pilar Orti

The importance of attending Pilates classes as a student
The workflow for this show

pilarwrites.com

The 21st Century Work Life podcast is back - with a different kind of content and format. 

The Booknotes season starts and will last... for a while. 

In today's episode:

Part 1
Pilar shares her booknotes from 

How To Have A Good Day: The Essential Toolkit for a Productive Day at Work and Beyond
by Caroline Webb

Chris Coladonato's (the connection catalyst) colour book: Color Me Unplugged: Mindful Patterns Inspired By Nature Walks - A Coloring Book for Rest, Relaxation, and Creativity

Teresa Douglas, author of Secrets of the Remote Workforce: By Employees, For Employees, recommends The Murder Bot Diaries

Part 2
Updates from Pilar -her books and what she's up to. 
Don't forget to check out Connection and Disconnection in Remote Teams, the book!

pilarwrites.com

A very short episode where I (Pilar Orti) share the reasons why the 21st Century Work Life podcast is going on pause. Stay subscribed though, as you never know when new episodes might drop!
Thank you very much for listening and all the best for 2025. 

Get in touch: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us 

It's the end of the year, but we're not making any predictions - things are moving way too fast! Instead, Pilar and Maya review some of the issues that have been blamed on "remote".

For an extensive summary of the episode, check out www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/dont-blame-remote-work

You can message Pilar through the Virtual not Distant website: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us

and get hold of Maya over at Remote Work Europe: https://www.remoteworkeurope.eu/ .

Listener Richard de Villiers reached out to host Pilar Orti after hearing the episode on the 3 A's of Connection. He has plenty to say on the subject of connection in remote teams, and many different frameworks to share to help other listeners think through change programmes and their own leadership.

Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richarddevilliers/

For detailed show notes, head over to 

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts /connection-frameworks

In this episode, host Pilar Orti interviews Andreea Gătin an event and community manager who is organising a unique experience for digital nomad and remote workers in Romania. Andreea discusses her goals for the experience, which include showcasing Romania as a destination for digital nomads and fostering a sense of community among participants. It's happening in March 2025, so check it out!

Find an episode summary over at www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/experience-romania

Find out more about Andreea and the experience she's creating:

Information and Registration Form

Connect with Andreea Ioana Gătin on LinkedIn

In this episode, host Pilar Orti talks to Sagar Chandni, who describes himself as a distributed work practitioner and a strategy leader with a heart. We talk about the nuances of these terms and the evolving nature of work, particularly in India where Sagar is based.

Sagar discusses his work with startups and the challenges and opportunities they face, and shares his approach to informed leadership, ethical business strategies, and workplace inclusiveness, as well as the importance of embracing a mindset shift and approaching work in a way that fosters meaningful connections and positive impact both personally and professionally. He also gives us a view of the startup landscape in India. Yes, we cover a lot in this episode!

Find out more about Sagar and his work:

Connect with Sagar on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sagarchandni/

Check out his LinkedIn show Virtual Global Leadership Podcast

Subscribe to his newsletter: https://strivewithsagarchandni.substack.com/

For a written summary check out https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/leader-with-heart

Host Pilar Orti is joined by Doug Haines, the founder of Kalium and Marketing Pros. Doug's entrepreneurial journey began with Kalium, where he successfully recruited talent from South Africa. This positive experience inspired him to launch Marketing Pros, an agency connecting South African marketing professionals with global opportunities. In this episode, Doug discusses the development of both ventures and his strategies for maintaining a robust talent pool.

For the full show notes check out www.virtualnotdistant.com 

Find out more about Doug Haines and his companies:
Marketing Pros: https://www.marketingpros.co
Kalium: https://www.kalium.co.uk/

If you're looking to expand your team and want to talk to Doug about your best options, find him on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/doughaines/

or email him as per the end of the interview.

In this episode, host Pilar Orti shares her new framework showing how we connect at work, and talks about some of her other projects. 

If you'd like to be alerted when the Remotely Shakespeare wall calendar comes out, head over to remotelyshakespeare.com 

For more information check out www.virtualnotdistant.com

A special episode to celebrate the launch of the revised edition of The Long-Distance Leader, written by Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel, who returns to the show with another conversation that made host Pilar Orti laugh plenty of times. 

The conversation takes a critical look at the "hybrid" workplace - is it a compromise, a hostage negotiation? Or is the problem that we're all transitioning to a new era of knowledge work, and are uncomfortable with uncertainty? Wayne also covers the role of trust, building a culture fit for hybrid and proximity bias.

Summary blog post: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/challenges-of-hybrid

Find out more about the book here:
kevineikenberry.com/products/the-long-distance-leader

Check out Wayne's website too:
wayneturmel.com

And if you'd like to hear more from the authors, listen to Wayne in episode 238 or hear from Kevin Eikenberry in episode 181.

In today's episode, host Pilar Orti catches up with Frédérique Lloyd Bougreau, about how she transformed her career and lifestyle by setting up a Pilates studio in rural France. They talk about cultural adaptation, building a business in a new environment and the Importance of movement and exercise as we progress through life. 

Frédérique's contact details are over at her website: https://www.pilatesbienetre.com/contact.html

As always, you can find Pilar over at www.virtualnotdistant.com 

For today's Recommendations episode, Pilar is joined by Catherine Nicholson, co-founder and creative director of The Virtual Training Team. Before they move onto this month's reading and listening recommendations, Catherine talks about her recent interest: the blend of generations in the workplace, and how to make the most out of them.

Recorded on 7 August 2024

For the full set of show notes, head over to 
https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/generations-workplace

In this episode Pilar talks to Justin Gignac, co-founder of Working Not Working, and Nicolina Jennings, the company's VP and Managing Director. Our guests share the origins and evolution of Working Not Working, and how what they've learned about engagement and belonging led to their new platform NTRNL. They make a strong case for increasing employee retention by creating an infrastructure that makes internal opportunities - and hidden talents-  visible to all.

You can find a summary over at www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/working-not-working

Check out Working not Working https://workingnotworking.com 

and NTRNL  https://workingnotworking.com/ntrnl 

We are joined by regular guest Theresa Hollema who has been doing some thinking with host Pilar Orti on the topic of Bonding within remote teams, versus Bridging, where team members create bonds with other parts of the organisation. Plus, Theresa has her own reading and listening recommendations to add to Pilar's.

You can connect with Theresa on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresasigillitohollema/

And check out the resources on her website:
https://virtualacrosscultures.com/

Let us know what you thought of the episode over at www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact

You can find an summary of the first part, plus all the links we refer to here: 

ww.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/bridging-remote-teams 

A new player has entered the field in the world of work: generative AI. As remote teams increasingly rely on asynchronous communication, have AI chatbots become go-to resources for quick answers and idea validation? What does this mean for our workplace relationships and social skills?

Maya Middlemiss and Pilar Orti discuss!


For more detailed show notes head over to www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/chatbots 

You can message Pilar through the Virtual not Distant website: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us and get hold of Maya over at Remote Work Europe: https://www.remoteworkeurope.eu/ .

Host Pilar Orti talks to Henry O'Loughlin, founder of Buildremote. As he shares his journey from running a fully remote marketing agency to creating Buildremote, Henry discusses the pitfalls many companies faced during the pandemic and how his experience led him to develop a "remote operating system" playbook.

The conversation evolves into a thought experiment looking into the future of work, exploring concepts like the four-day workweek, the growing trend of freelancing and the creator economy, ending in a not-too-distant future where traditional employment structures become networks of one-person businesses collaborating globally.

Connect with Henry on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/henry-olaughlin/

Check out the Remote Operating System at Buildremote buildremote.co

For a summary blog post, check out https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/work-evolution 

05:05: Four-Day Workweek and Remote Work Connection

08:03: Future of Work and Questioning Traditional Practices

17:49: Freelancing and the Creator Economy

26:12: Resistance to Change in Traditional Work Structures

28:22: Challenges of Managing Part-Time and Freelance Workers

30:18: Remote Work: Learning Curve and Comparisons

In today's episode, Pilar Orti welcomes regular guest Mark Kilby onto the show, to find out how he's using generative AI. They share their personal experiences, preferences, and cautionary tales surrounding various AI tools. Plus, they have plenty of reading, listening and tool recommendations for you this month!

Recorded on 24 April 2024, so some of the tools have evolved since then.

For the show notes, check out:

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/may-recommendations

You can connect with Mark Kilby on LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/mkilby/

Or message him through his website:
www.markkilby.com

And if you'd like to keep up with his thoughts and work, subscribe to Differability
https://differability.works/

Connect with Pilar over at https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us 

Today's show notes are a little bit different. We'd like to keep Jack's story in his own words as much as possible, so we're sharing a polished version of the transcript over at: 

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts /jack-nilles-telework 

Talking to our host Pilar Orti, Jack takes us on a journey through the very early days of telecommuting, sharing the challenges and triumphs he experienced while pioneering this new concept. From convincing skeptical companies to adopt telework to exploring the societal benefits of reduced traffic congestion and pollution, Jack's story is a fascinating glimpse into the birth of a movement that continues to shape our world today.

LINKS:

Get in touch with Jack through his website (you can email him from there) https://www.jala.com/

Jack's blog: https://www.jalahq.com/blog/

WORK DIFFERENT, the documentary https://www.nfb.ca/film/work-different/

You can connect with Pilar on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/pilarorti/
Or message her through https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us 

In this episode, Pilar interviews Jaap Linssen, the founder of OrangeTrail, a company that helps organisations navigate change and adopt new ways of working.

Jaap has been helping people in organisations collaborate and communicate through harnessing the power of technology since 2011. Through Jaap's examples, they talk about asking questions to drive engagement, developing team narratives to strengthen teamwork, the adoption of genAI in organisations and social learning. And building a business exporting farm cheese. Of course.

Here are some links for you to check out:

Find out more about OrangeTrail on their website.

Connect with Jaap on LinkedIn.

And don't forget to watch the video New experiments in self-teaching by Sugata Mitra

Plus, if you're interested in using genAI for creative projects, you might want to check out Spiralling Creativity, Pilar's new blog.

For a full summary and show notes, check out 

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts /team-narratives

We've struggled this month to create a collection around remote work, so we've gone a bit "around the edges" - but it's still all relevant to our audience. There is much content around hybrid work at the moment, and it tends to have more of a "how to" angle to it , so we often give it a miss.

So, please send through anything you think we might add in future episodes. https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us

05.00 MINS

The Pyramid Principle
Via Sketchplanations 

How Remote Workers Are Reshaping Corporate Travel Policies
via Skift

E-voice in the Digitalised Workplace. Insights from an Alternative Organisation
via Human Resource Management Journal (Wiley)
Grabbed from Eva Rimbau-Gilabert's profile on previously-known-as-Twitter.

Airchat Is Silicon Valley's Latest Obsession
via Wired.com

15.50 MINS
Work Different
a documentary by Julien Capraro

This was recommended by Jack Niles, reader of the newsletter, and author of Managing Telework: Strategies for Managing the Virtual Workforce published by Wiley in 1998.

You can read about the documentary here: https://www.createastir.ca/articles/work-different-rendez-vous-french-film-festival and watch the documentary here: https://www.nfb.ca/film/work-different/

18.12 MINS

The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World
by Dorie Clark

(You might also want to check out Entrepreneurial You.)

Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things
by Adam Grant

Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
by Cal Newport

How To Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen
by David Brooks
(thanks Bernie J MItchell for the recommendation!)

30.25 MINS

Deep Questions with Cal Newport
294: A Tactical Assault on Business
1 April 2024

The Long-Distance Worklife podcast
Episode: Press Start on SoWork: How Gamers are Influencing the Future of Remote Work
15 April 2024

Remote Work Life
RWL203 From office manager to international remote work expert w/ Laurel Farrer, Founder Distribute Consulting
4 March 2024

Check out our own work!
Thinking Remote: Inspiration for Leaders of Distributed Teams, a collection of our blog posts.
And Maya's "Out Of The Office: Making the transition to working from home" and "Finding Your Edge: Establishing And Maintaining Boundaries When You Work From Home"

Pilar is back on Twitter (X)!

Maya's mainly on LinkedIn, and… during RWE's LinkedIn's challenge, Maya posted about Getting Things Done, and got a comment from David Allen on it!

Maya is speaking at Bansko Nomad Fest.
Use her code for a discount! 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗥𝗪𝗘_𝗯𝗻𝗳𝟮𝟰

Our newsletters:
Pilar's "Spiralling Creativity" https://spirallingcreativity.substack.com/

Maya's "Remote Echoes" https://mayamiddlemiss.substack.com/

You can message Pilar through the Virtual not Distant website: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us and get hold of Maya over at Remote Work Europe: https://www.remoteworkeurope.eu/ .

In today's episode, Pilar Orti interviews Amale Ghalbouni, a former executive strategy director turned coach. Amale shares her experiences navigating career pivots, rediscovering purpose, and helping individuals and teams foster deep human connections. They talk about the changing nature of work, and the importance of preventing burnout.

Find out more about Amale on her website.
Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Check out The Brick Coach website

For a summary blog post, head over to 

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts /coaching-and-burnout

Maya and Pilar discuss some of the ways in which remote workers are networking. And very special guest Matt Ballantine shares his experiment "100 coffees".

Recorded on 21 March 2024.

To get in touch, head over to https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us 

Maya shares a recent event she ran as part of Remote Work Europe, with Ali Meehan on "speed networking".

Someone else organising networking-type events is Lisette Sutherland from Collaboration Superpowers, who is running virtual coworking sessions: https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com/workshops/schedule/?type=1112

Maybe this kind of event is something organisations could run, instead of assuming the best way for people to connect is through face to face social events?

12.25mins
Special guest Matt Ballantine tells us about his relationship building experiment: 100 coffees.
Read about it here: https://mmitii.mattballantine.com/category/projects/100-coffees/
Connect with Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattballantine/
Listen to his previous episode on this show: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/collaboration-in-organisations
Listen to the WB40 podcast, or even, book a coffee time with Matt: https://calendly.com/matt-ballantine

27.15mins

What about online communities? Belonging to a public group and a private one, and a free one versus a paid one, are very different experiences.

Remote Work Europe has a public, open group on Facebook, and a private community, over at https://www.remoteworkeurope.eu/connected

Communities and relationships can exist both online and off: we mention Social Now as a conference about the digital workspace: 16th and 17th May in Lisbon, and also the online community Asynco.
And relationship building can be synchronous or asynchronous.

Virtual Team Talk, set up back in the day by Pilar and Lisette, is still around!

43.15mins
And Social Media? How's it going over on LinkedIn? If you want to become active on the platform, join the RWE challenge: https://www.linkedin.com/events/levelupyourlinkedinspring2024-a7175914652218834945/comments/

Or, you might want to join Alison Jones' Book Proposal Challenge.
And being part of a challenge itself is a great way of meeting new people with whom you have something in common!

52.30mins
In the absence of people, can generative AI bots help?

A cheeky transition into some resources we have around generative AI:

Maya has created the course: Generative AI Secrets For Remote Work Search Success

And Pilar is now blogging about her artistic projects with and without genAI over at Spiralling Creativity, where her latest post ponders on whether genAI is a Clown .

In today's episode, tech journalist Jennifer Riggins talks about the impact of generative AI on the world of software development, focusing on the challenges faced by DevSecOps teams in keeping up with the accelerated pace of code creation enabled by GenAI tools. She raises important questions about the potential risks posed by generative AI, such as the introduction of vulnerabilities and intellectual property issues, and emphasises the need for organizations to establish clear AI governance policies to mitigate these risks.

You can read the full summary and show notes (created by GenAI) here:
https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/ai-developers  


Connect with Jen on LinkedIn.

Read the article: Will Generative AI Kill DevsecOps?

Read Jen's other article: The AI governance policy engineering managers needed yesterday

Check out the State of OpenCon 24 sessions on YouTube.

You can also check out Pilar's post on her Spiralling Creativity blog, describing her recent experience with GenAI creating this episode's show notes. https://spirallingcreativity.substack.com/p/gen-ai-helpful-assistant-or-clown 

If you enjoy listening to the 21st Century Work Life podcast, you might also enjoy Management Café - look for it wherever you are listening to this. 

Today's guest is Linda Redell, Head of Talents and Culture at the hybrid company Homelike. https://www.thehomelike.com/ 

With a diverse workforce spread across multiple countries, Linda and her team are responsible for maintaining the company culture and employee well-being. The shift to remote work has brought challenges and opportunities, with a focus on creating spaces for physical interaction, revamping onboarding, and fostering engagement.

Connect with Linda Redell on LinkedIn.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-redell/ 

Find our more about Homelike nd what it's like working there: www.thehomelike.com

For a summary of the conversation, check out https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/homelike

Today's post is the audio companion to the Virtual not Distant monthly newsletter, which you can sign up to here. Every month, Pilar shares with readers articles she's come across on the web, books she's read (or is reading) and podcast episodes she's listened to. And today, she's joined by Marcus Wermuth, who is an Engineering Leader specialising in virtual leadership.|

Marcus is back on this show, this time talking about his recent professional transition: laying himself off from his job as Head of Engineering. This has been a very difficult decision to take, but he's followed his own principles, and stayed true to his identity as servant leader.

First off, check out Marcus' article on "laying himself off",

If you are interested in hearing another conversation about how to strike the balance between transparency and discretion, check out episode 69 of the Management Café.

18.30 MINS

Deutsche Bank's 3-day-a-week return-to-office policy has been met with fierce criticism by staff who say there isn't enough space for everyone
via Business Insider
The title says it all, but worth looking at some of the detail to understand the risks of mandatory planning looks like.

Right to disconnect: Implementation and impact at company level

Recent research shows that having laws about the right to disconnect is not enough to prevent employees feeling like they have to be constantly available. Company culture and in-house companies are needed too.

10 Ways to Build Better Relationships Working Remotely
A blog post that could have been a short ebook. A thoughtful article with specific advice on how to build relationships .

Are Enterprise Social Platforms All Talk?

Past guest Wietske Van Osch has just released research into why enterprise social networks need to be run differently to the social networks employees might be used to, for employees and the organisation to get the most out of them.

Gifts and Greats for True Feedback
via Mark Kilby
A very useful post to guide us through formulating feedback on other people's work, and how to structure it.

Podcast: The Rich Roll Podcast
Episode: #815 CHARLES DUHIGG: HOW TO UNLOCK THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF CONNECTION
Date: 22 February 2024

An interview with journalist/writer Charles Duhigg, talking about building strong relationships.

Podcast: Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin
Long-form Interviews with a range of guests, from a range of industries.

Podcast: Collaboration Superpowers
Episode: Agile Retrospectives 2.0 with Esther Derby, Diana Larsen & David Horowitz
Date: 5 March 2022

Lisette Sutherland talks to the authors of the new edition of Agile Retrospectives 2.0. Pilar hasn't listened to it yet, but highly recommends it - she's a great fan of David Horowitz, who guested on this show back in 2017, in episode 129 on Building a Distributed Business.

Podcast: Sliced Bread
Episode: Fitness Trackers (UK link, but look for it in your podcast app)
29 Feb 2023

Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building
by Claire Hughes Johnson

Collabor(h)ate: How to build incredible collaborative relationships at work (even if you'd rather work alone)

by Deb Mashek PhD

Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection
by Charles Duhigg

The Coming Wave
by Mustafa Suleyman

Can't Hurt Me
by David Goggings

Make Your Art No Matter What
by Beth Pickens

You can connect with Marcus Wermuth on LinkedIn and check out his website: www.marcuswermuth.com

Other episodes with Marcus:
WLP291 Starting a New Role Remotely

WLP219 OnBoarding (or Integration) in Remote Teams and Organisations

WLP188 - From Maker to Manager in a Distributed Company

SIgn up to the Virtual not Distant's newsletter here: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/newsletter

In this episode, Production Designer Kate Rance shares her diverse career spanning theatre and film. She compares design approaches across industries, her affinity for hands-on craft versus managing teams, and learning new skills through her eclectic projects.

Kate and Pilar used to work together on theatre productions (many years ago!) and Kate has designed www.virtualnotdistant.com , as well as www.adventuresinpodcasting.com 

Check out Kate's website, www.katerance.com

For detailed show notes, head over to www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/film-production

Maya and Pilar tackle the topic of "digital culture" in organisations, with this article as a springboard: 

"What is digital culture? The teams best prepared for change use modern digital communication tools, feel comfortable learning new ones and continually adapt how they work."

By the team at Slack, 29th July 2022
https://slack.com/intl/en-gb/blog/collaboration/what-is-digital-culture

Pilar mentions the book "The Rise of the Frontline Worker" 

35.00 mins

In other news…

"The winners and losers of London's work from home economy" City.com 17 Sept 2023

39.00mins

Personal updates: Remote Work Europe keeps growing, with new countries joining: Belgium, Cyprus and Turkey now have their own groups, check them out:. And if you want to join the premium community, go to https://www.remoteworkeurope.eu/connected And RWE even has a presence on TikTok!

Pilar isn't on TikTok but is doing a lot of podcasting - both hosting and guesting.
She's now doing a monthly version of the newsletter. 
You can listen to her on the Remote Work Life podcast with Alex Wilson-Campbell.

And remember that we have a course on asynchronous communication for remote team managers.

For the full show notes go to https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/digital-culture

In this episode, Barbara Mutedzi describes conscious leadership and its role in transitioning to remote work, with particular reference to her work in Zimbabwe. Throughout the episode, Barbara advocates for the need for leaders to embrace self-awareness, adaptability, and empathy to create more resilient, inclusive, and effective work environments.

Find Barbara over on LinkedIn.

Find out more about her conscious leadership practice and her coaching programmes.

For a summary of the episode head over to:

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/conscious-leadership

Today's post is the audio companion to the Virtual not Distant monthly newsletter, and you can subscribe to it via email here. Every month, Pilar shares with readers articles she's come across on the web, books she's read (or is reading) and podcast episodes she's listened to.

The newsletter also has a digest of the Virtual not Distant content - but this podcast version has an update of Pilar's own work.

The dark side of remote work via Asynchronous Agile

Remote work stifles innovation, a massive new study finds  via Gallant CEO, based on a study in Nature

Apple knew AirDrop users could be identified and tracked as early as 2019, researchers say via CNN Business
'I had £3,000 stolen via WhatsApp job scam message' via BBC UK

(This month's articles are all a bit dark, but it's just a coincidence!)

This month's book recommendation is "Four Thousand Weeks: Embrace your limits. Change your life. Make your four thousand weeks count" by Oliver Burkeman. It is NOT a book on how to manage your time. It's a philosophical read.

Podcast: The Tim Ferriss Podcast
Episode: Matt Mullenweg — The Art of Crafting a Sabbatical, Tips for Defending Against Hackers, Leveraging Open Source, Thriving in an AI World, and Tips for Life's Darkest Hours (#713)
Date: 29 December 2023

Podcast: Work from Home Forever
Episode: Eileen Tanner, 27 Years of Remote Work from Fax Machines to Virtual Meetings
Date: 18 December 2023

(And if you want to find out more about Don Voltaire, host of Work from Home Forever , check out the latest episode of Adventures in Podcasting: Ep 71 Adventures in podcasting with your son, finding guests and the life-changing potential of remote work)

Podcast: Hard Fork 

In today's episode, Maya shares her challenges trying to embrace the "work from anywhere" spirit. Our co-hosts also talk about how the popularity of Chat GPT has opened up the need to reinvent education, how they're using the bot and why we should all be vigilant when reading current research on the impact of remote work in organisations.

Recorded on 29 January 2024.

For the full show notes, head over to https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/ep346

If you have something to add to the conversation, please let us know: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us

Other relevant links:

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/blog/remote-anytime-anyplace-anywhere 

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/blog/work-life-what

https://chat.openai.com/g/g-x2K9hqH3L-healthy-happy-homeworking-advisor

https://chat.openai.com/g/g-A51yp1KCy-beat-procrastination

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nick-bloom-86b79510b_wsj-news-exclusive-when-layoffs-happen-activity-7156670698369732608-6m2K/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jason-salt_remote-worker-job-changes-in-2023-activity-7156690158833082369-pK25/

La Gran Renuncia episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4p7x6PHwVKRkZWWCzAkacd?si=XkQvUHkBTLmUbeawMRc_zA

https://www.remoteworkeurope.eu/connected

Hello dear listeners of the 21st Century Work Life podcast. This is a little bonus episode, what some would call, a piece of content marketing, as I've put it together to introduce you to our audio-first course, for managers and leaders of remote teams: Navigating Asynchronous Communication. And in this episode, I've selected three sections to share with you, to give you a flavour of the course - in case this is something for you, or your colleagues. If you want to check out the copy, head over to our website. https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/audio-first-course

I've talked about the format before - but in case you're new to the show, it's a course to help you lay down the foundations of asynchronous communication in your team, and it's narrated by my colleague Simon Wilson and myself. It has nine modules, formal modules with title and everything, and some reflection questions at the end, and then it has three informal conversations between Simon and myself, like those you might find on this podcast.

Before I go into the content, I'm experimenting with the delivery of this course, as to how YOU access it. And at the moment, you can take the course in two ways: one is through an app, which is actually designed for Audiobooks. And you can mark the audio if you have favourite bits etc, and also, you get a the text version of the course and the transcripts of the conversations. That's it. (And for those of you who are used to buying online products, that's being delivered through Gumroad.)

Now, we've also got a more traditional way of laying out an online course, through the platform Thinkific. It's still audio only, but everything looks more like an online course, and you have a few worksheets you can download and fill in in PDF form, plus some quizzes, which are a way of getting you to think through the material, although to be honest, they're mainly for fun, because it's difficult to create multiple choice quizzes that really test you.

But, for testing you, we do have a certificate option. And for that we have a choice of assessments that you can take, and then send to us for marking. This can be text, audio or video even. And all of that is explained in the course - but if you want more information on that, le me know. 

Before I move onto the sections from the course, let me tell you some of the topics we cover.

Coffee Break Conversation 1: Introduction - to your tutors and the material

Module 1: Benefits and Drawbacks of Asynchronous Communication

Module 2: Foundations of Asynchronous Communication

Bonus: Psychological Safety in Asynchronous Communication

Module 3: Different Conversations at Work

Coffee Break Conversation 2: Why is Asynchronous Communication so Hard to Get Used to?

Module 4: Collaborating on Tasks Asynchronously

Module 5: Decision-making and Alignment

Module 6: Capturing Your Team's Knowledge

Module 7: Integrating Meetings into Our Process

Coffee Break Conversation 3: Working with External Parties

Module 8: The Technology and the Team Agreement

Module 9: Your Next Steps

Right, if you're still with me, let's move onto a section from module 2, foundations of async, a segment of the coffee covnersation about how hard async can be to get used to, and then, I've included most of the module on Capturing your team's knowledge, as this is one part of remote teamwork that those relatively new to remote work miss.

Do get in touch if you need anything from me - thank you for listening.

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us

In this episode, Pilar talks to Jeanna Barrett, founder and Chief Remote Officer at the fully distributed company FPS. Jeanna shares how she set up the company by following her values and aspiring lifestyle, as well as her approach to company culture, remote operations and how values influence her decisions.

For detailed show notes, head over to https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/remote-operations

Links:

Find Jeanna over on LinkedIn.

Check out the Remotely Cultured podcast.

Learn more about FPS.

Pilar pops in for a quick solo show to let you know how the focus of the show is changing. 

A quick happy new year from Pilar, cradled by the sound of the sea.

It's the last episode of the year, and it's very hard to break tradition! Maya and Pilar talk through some of the recent stories around remote work and the world of work and try to make up their minds as to whether we're moving forward or backwards…

Just as they've been doing over the last three months, Maya and Pilar comment on this month's guest, Valentina Thörner the Empress of Remote! What was particularly memorable was her tiara story (of course!) and the way in which she continues to advocate for experimentation at every level in the organisation. (To hear Valentina talking about the two axis of remote work (location and schedule), check out episode 342.)

09.25 MINS

There is a danger of organisations being seen to be discriminating against certain employees if they make them go back to the office. Legally things are not that clear cut. This article from October showed the need for organisations to understand the implications fully: Case update: employers must do their homework before making 'back to the office' decisions.

12.52 MINS

One example of the world of work moving backwards is this guidance by the UK government against a four-day work week in local authorities. Note the lack of evidence to support it: "it does not believe that it delivers local taxpayers' value for money."

At 16.00 MINS, Pilar brings in an example of the voiceover industry, which makes it clear that being able to work remotely might continue to perpetuate an "always on" culture.

This might all sound like our hosts are in a negative state of mind, but maybe this is something that also applies to listeners? Maybe they are seeking information to navigate the more difficult facets of the modern work environment.

The most popular episodes have focused on terminations (333), conflict (331), The upside and downsides of creativity and productivity (330)… But also some more uplifting ones like Effective Manager Mindset for Global Virtual Teams (315) and one on visibility and transparency in leadership with Mark Kilby (321).

On the moving forwards side…

21.12 MINS

Discussing Buffer's "State of Remote Work 2023" report, Pilar and Maya note a surprising trend: more remote workers now feel that working remotely has a positive impact on their career growth. This contradicts the common belief that remote work might hinder career advancement.

27.00 MINS

We couldn't end our reflections on 2023 without talking about Generative AI. We already did an episode on AI in November 2019 (https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/artificial-intelligence ), so it's something we've always kept an eye out on.

Now that Generative AI is being integrated into everyday tools and is more accessible, what's going on in organisations? Check out Salesforce's recent research which shows that More than Half of Generative AI Adopters Use Unapproved Tools at Work. (Does it remind you of how remote teams in organisations often use Shadow IT?)

Generative AI is being used widely by all sorts of professionals, and a few months ago, Amazon had to cap the number of books that authors could upload daily, as GenAI was being used to crank up books.

Speaking of which… Pilar has co-written a book with Chat GPT. "The Remote Worker's Guide to Time Management" will be out in all formats in January, but the Kindle version is already out for pre-order.

40.10 MINS

If you don't want to read a book co-created with a bot, then maybe you'd like to chat to humans? The doors to the brand new community of Remote Work Europe are now open! There's been a rise in closed online communities as social media has become noisy and unreliable. Maya embraces this and has set up Remote Work Europe Connected for remote workers of all kinds who are looking for a space to seek help, connection and inspiration.

That's it from us this year, we hope you enjoyed our 2023 What's Going On episodes!

In this episode, Valentina Thörner talks about the importance of defining what "remote" means in an organisation, particularly around the dimensions of time and location.

For a really good summary, check out 

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/distributed-teams-matrix 

Connect with Valentina over on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to her newsletter "Remote that Works".

Hi, Pilar here.

This is a very short announcement to let you know that I'll be releasing soon a book on time management for remote workers.

This is an experiment. I am co writing it with Chat GPT, but I think it's wonderful. And I can say that because I've mainly been working on this as an editor and coach, and most of the writing has come from Chat GPT.

I am now looking for Beta Readers. It's a short book, it's about 20,000 words long, which means about an hour of reading. I'll be able to offer it to you as a PDF or an EPUB.

I would love to hear what you think, because although I do have the distance as an author, they're not my words.

I am thinking of publishing it definitely before the New Year, before January. So if you are interested in checking it out and just giving me a couple of feedback tips, like, did you like it? Did you not? Is it boring? Is it too basic?I just need to put it out there and get people's opinions on it. 

Please email me (email in the audio) or use the contact form over at https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us 

Next week, we've got a cracking episode with Valentina Thorner, talking about the two axes of distributed work: time and location.

Maya and Pilar share their thoughts on the last two episodes, both of which covered different aspects of asynchronous communication. While some organisations are still struggling with incorporating a "good" version of async, others are getting ready to introduce AI. Where will it all end?

Links and mentions 
They refer back to episode 339 and 340. 
Talk about the recent Loom acquisition by Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/announcements/atlassian-acquires-loom

Pilar mentions the AI Marketing Show, and a listener sent in this article on Working Out Loud:
https://www.reworked.co/collaboration-productivity/rehumanize-your-workplace-by-working-out-loud/ 


For a longer summary, check out 

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/more-async

With the rise of online communities and digital platforms, the way we share, innovate, and co-create has evolved. Wietske van Osch, together with Burcu Bulgurcu recently published research, exploring the nuances of collaborative creativity in online spaces. Pilar came across the piece in the MIT Sloan Review, and invited Wietske onto the show.

This episode is a great example of the power of online communities. Pilar read the article "The Profound Influence of Small Choices in Digital Collaboration" in the Fall 2023 edition of the MIT Sloan Review, and shared it in a Slack community hosted by previous guest Rachael Happe. One of its members, Lori, happened to know Wietske and she introduced her to Pilar.

In this episode, Wietske van Osch talks about her recent research into enterprise social networks, exploring how a group's choice of private or public channels influences the type of creativity nurtured.

Connect with Wietske over on LinkedIn.

You can find the full show notes over at 

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/public-private

At Virtual not Distant, we consider asynchronous communication an essential practice of online collaboration. That's why we've created an audio-first course for managers new to leading remote teams, and new managers.
Find out more about the course here or get in touch with Pilar through our contact form.

In this conversation, Pilar and Sumeet Gayathri Moghe delve into the intricacies of remote work, asynchronous communication, and the challenges of global collaboration. Sumeet also shares why he "worked out loud" as part of the process of writing the book "The Async-First Playbook". 

For the full summary of the conversation, head over to 

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/async-first 

Links: 

Connect with Sumeet over at LinkedIn.

Read Sumeet's work: www.asyncagile.org
Delight your eyes with Sumeet's other work: www.sumeetmoghe.com/
Find out more about "The Async-First Playbook: Remote Collaboration Techniques for Agile Software Teams".
Find out more about the Async-First Manifesto.

*Special Offer:* For a limited time, listeners can avail a discount on the "Async First Playbook" by navigating to informit.com/async and using the coupon code "NOTDISTANT".

At Virtual not Distant, we also consider asynchronous communication an essential practice of online collaboration. That's why we've created an audio-first course for managers new to leading remote teams, and new managers.
Find out more about the course here or get in touch with Pilar through our contact form.

In our previous episode, our guests Tammy and Theresa discussed career progression in remote and global teams. In this episode, Maya and Pilar look at another sector of the working population: freelancers, and discuss what's going on with remote freelancers and remote workers who want to access opportunities in a country different to where they reside.

Maya and Pilar explore the world of remote freelancers. Maya's initiative, Remote Work Europe, supports those new to remote work, offering guidance and job opportunities. The boundaries between traditional employment and freelancing are blurring due to remote work's flexibility. Challenges arise from limited remote entry-level roles and complex international hiring processes. Early-career remote workers might initially need in-person training, but highlighting remote-specific skills can be advantageous. The rise of freelancing is evident, yet transitioning can be bureaucratic - and our special guest Sondre Rasch of Safetywing suggests countries simplify self-employment processes.

For the full episode summary, check out https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts /remote-freelancing

Pilar welcomes back Tammy Bjelland, CEO of Workplaceless and Theresa Hollema, author of "Virtual Teams Across Cultures" to talk about career progression in remote and global teams. Tammy covers how organisations can ensure that remote employees don't miss out on career development in hybrid settings, and Theresa talks about how hard it is for distributed employees to get the attention of HQ for resources and career opportunities and how that adds a type of stress, which has nothing to do with performance.

For a detailed summary of the conversation, head over to 

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/career-progression-remote

Connect with Tammy Bjelland on LinkedIn, and subscribe to her newsletter. (And don't forget to check out the course Grow Placeless!)

Follow Theresa Sigilito Hollema on LinkedIn, where she regularly posts "micro learnings" on the topic of virtual global teams. Also check out the resources on her website and her book Virtual Teams Across Cultures.

And if you would like to hear more from our guests, check out Tammy in episode 286 talking about the challenges of adopting asynchronous communication

and Theresa's multiple contributions to the show (her and Pilar like talking A LOT about the world of work!). Ep 315 Effective Manager Mindset for Global Teams, Ep 300 parts 1, 2 and 3, and Ep 251 Leveraging Cultural Differences in Global Virtual Teams.

We're trying something different for the next few months for the 21st Century Work Life podcast. Rather than commenting on recent news and articles, Maya and Pilar will look at What's Going On by commenting and expanding on the themes brought up by the monthly guest-driven episodes. Please let us know what you think of this new format.

In today's episode, Pilar and Maya reflect on the previous episode where guest Jan Nieuweboer, senior consultant of the future of work at Rabobank, shared the bank's journey in implementing a hybrid work model. (If you want to listen to or read the summary of the conversation between Jan and Pilar, look for episode 335 on your favourite podcast app, or follow this link.)

For the show notes/summary, visit 

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/commenting-on-hybrid

In today's episode, Pilar talks to Jan Nieuweboer, senior consultant on hybrid work at Rabobank, and spokesperson for the Future of Work and Hybrid Working. He describes how plans for changing the ways of working at Rabobank were accelerated by the pandemic, and how the working model has evolved.

For more details and to get in touch with us, head over to 

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts /hybrid-rabobank

We're taking a break from our regular schedule this summer, but Pilar couldn't help it and she's popping in to let you know about some of her plans - including some adapted Shakespeare, which you can follow below. 
Please share your thoughts through our contact form. https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us

Why should I love these tools so? 'Tis odds

They never will affect me. I am simple,

Each tool beckoning with promises untold,

And I love all. To master all of them is futile;

To delete them is senseless. Out upon't!

What trials are we workers driven to

When remote work has claimed us! First, I saw Slack,

I, seeing, deemed it a worthy app;

It has as much to charm a worker in it

(If it please to bestow it so) as ever

These eyes yet look'd on. Next, I yearned over Trello,

And so would any mind o' my conscience

That ever dream'd, or pledge'd time management

To a fresh and appealing task. Then, I lov'd the whiteboard,

Extremely lov'd it, infinitely lov'd it;

And yet it had its flaws, as all do too;

But in my heart was Google Suite, and there,

Lord, what a coil it keeps! To see a multitude of apps

All accessed with one click, what a heaven it is!

And yet its name's a fleeting ones, and scarce lasts

One generation of remote.

Then, there is Dropbox, a cloud aloft,

A refuge for files, a sanctuary for documents.

Its sync, its share, its version history,

Did cause my heart to leap, my mind to marvel.

Yet, it too had its flaws, its limits, its expenses,

Its conflicts, its deletions, a horror to behold.

And now, there's Notion, a novelty it used to be,

With its pages, its databases, its all-in-one workspace.

It promises the universe, it promises the moon,

But oh, what a learning curve, what a mountain to ascend!

Yet, I cannot resist, I cannot deny,

The allure of these apps, the promise of productivity.

Oh, what a world, what a world of apps!

A blessing and a curse, a delight and a burden.

To navigate this sea, to master these tools,

Is a task Herculean, a labor of love.

Yet, I am but a worker, a humble knowledge worker,

Lost in the sea of apps, adrift in the ocean of remote work.

And yet, on the horizon, a glimmer of hope,

The promise of AI, the dream of automation,

To lighten our load, to ease our burden,

A new dawn for the remote, a new era for work.

In this episode, Pilar talks with Julieta Moreno, an international employment and mobility lawyer. Julieta shares her experiences working with employment of record (EOR) companies, which help businesses employ resources in countries where they don't have an entity, taking care of the administrative and legal aspects of maintaining an employee's legal employment status in their respective countries.

For the full show notes, head over to www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/remote-termination

In today's episode, Maya and Pilar cover the State of the Global Workplace 2023 report by Gallup and the Forbes article Our Changing Psychological Contract at Work, by Keith Ferrazzi.

Pilar introduces a concept from a book "No Hard Feelings," by Liz and Mollie, which discusses reasons why employees may lose motivation: lack of control over their work, absence of meaningful work, lack of learning opportunities, and disliking coworkers. (If you would like to hear more about the book, check out episode 57 of Management Cafe.)

There is also reference to https://www.developingleadership.co/episode/episode-34-managing-an-engineering-team-in-a-remote-first-world-with-alexandra-sunderland

For the full show notes, go to 

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/stress-engagement-gallup2023

Lech Guzowski, a workplace culture facilitator, emphasizes understanding individual needs and responses to conflict for effective workplace communication. He uses the Thomas Kilmann conflict model to explain different ways people respond to conflict based on their levels of assertiveness and cooperativeness.

Working remotely can allow for more thoughtful responses to conflict, but it can also hide simmering issues. It's therefore crucial to integrate conflict management into work processes and provide spaces for open discussion, especially in a remote setup. This practice helps to prevent artificial harmony and fosters authentic communication.

Conflicts are an integral part of collaboration, and when managed well, can fuel a team's growth. However, remote teams can become conflict-avoidant, overwhelmed by conflict, or disconnected from issues. Leaders need to facilitate conflict management within teams, and tools like Lech's culture micro practices can be used to initiate these conversations.

The hybrid work model, combining office and remote work, can also breed conflict, particularly regarding personal work preferences and decision-making about workspaces. Lech suggests running separate rules for each setup rather than merging them. He values in-person workshops but believes that office work needs to evolve from its traditional form.

Lech hosts the "We Got This" podcast to inspire listeners with insights from Heads of People and CEOs about implementing people initiatives in their organizations.

For the full summary, go to www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/navigating-conflict

This episode covers recent research on three different aspects of new and established ways of working: the effect of asynchronous work on folk music creation, the trends in use of online tools and productivity global productivity in the "work from anywhere" economy. (Oh, and we've thrown in some numbers from 2017, for you to compare whether anything has changed…)

We refer to this content:

Asynchronous work can fuel creativity.

This episode from the Work from Home Forever podcast,

Work Trend Index Report by Microsoft

"Stop the Meeting Madness" published in HBR July-Aug 2017

New Research Reveals We're on the Precipice of the Next Global Productivity Boom.

And for the full show notes, check out:

https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/new-trends