How Relevant Is Geography?
For about a week now, I’ve made sure to alert the Twitterati that we’re on the hunt for Social Media savvy PR pros for our Boston & SF offices.
TDefren Have I mentioned it lately? I haven’t? SHIFT seeks social-media-savvy PR types in SF/BOS. Can u bring it? U got the stuff? DM me then, eh?
I have received many replies from genuine rockstars. I am truly flattered by their interest.
The thing is, most of them hail from cities outside of Boston and San Francisco. They eagerly assure me that “distance is not an issue” … “telepresence is the future” … “I can be as effective from my home in _____ as I would be in Boston or San Fran” … etc.
Part of me wants to believe them. Certainly, I would love to tap into their passion & experience. I am certain that in many cases our agency and clients would benefit.
But I am also a big believer in teamwork, the impromptu brainstorm across a whiteboard, the rolling-up of sleeves, the clinking of beers after a long day’s work – the camaraderie that can only come from working in the same office. We have very generous flex-time and telecommuting policies for on-site employees, of course, but these were policies written for folks who are generally on-site.
I am struggling with this… Recruiting this type of person is our single biggest growth challenge.
So, if you have great examples of “making it work” (or not) with truly remote employees, I’d love to hear about it. (Not with consultants, mind you – we’re talking about full-time employees who would be hired to work within a team structure.)
Meanwhile – need I say it? If you DO live in Boston or San Francisco, shoot me a note even if you are mildly curious about potential opportunities with SHIFT Communications. I am always happy to share a cup of coffee (umm, in-person!) with a reader of this blog.
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Another option would be to take the folks you *do* have access to (that are either on the team or are local candidates) and help make them social media savvy.
I think the same things that make someone good at offline social media (PR 1.0) would likely make them good at the newer stuff.
It may just be a matter of encouraging those on the team to participate — or incenting them to do so.
Thank you, all, for your great comments and ideas. Kinda feels like a 50/50 split on this one.
The reality is probably that remote FTE situations *can* work … sometimes. My guess is that the role needs to be carefully defined and managed on both sides.
p.s. to Dharmesh – getting current staff to be ever more savvy is a continual work in progress, but, the greater challenge for SHIFT is getting MORE employees in the door to start with, to keep pace with biz oppties.
Todd,
A little late to the post here, but my .02, for whatever it’s worth…
I was very fortunate to have been allowed to work from my home (at that time in Chicago)–as I prepared to move. While my work product was fine and I flew in a few times during the interim, I can say without hesitation that I felt more a part of the team and learned more about my coworkers within 2 weeks of being “on location” than I had during the 2 and a half months that I’d worked remotely. In the social media space things move rapidly, and we learn from one another every day, through informal chats that I wasn’t a part of when I was working from a home office.
If these employees are going to be part of a team, it’s hard to see how that gets fostered without the “normal” day-to-day interaction that allows for social bonds to form. I also feel that a bond needs to form with the company, and again that’s difficult from a distance.
I think it depends heavily on the position, the person/people being hired, and what your core values are as a company.
Best of luck to you!
Jen