One of the main questions I am asked about my job is how I manage to stay productive while working from home, especially since the company that I work for is a group of app developers in DC. I live in Argentina working as a graphic designer for Mobomo’s Design Team and have been since October 2014. Even though Mobomo is a U.S based company, I can honestly say I have loved working remotely for a company that truly invests in their employees even though they are thousands of miles away. Working remotely is only possible with professional and reliable people. I can admit, working from home is a skill that needs to be developed because it requires knowing how to manage your time without someone supervising you 24/7. It also takes someone that knows how to take calculated risks without asking for permission, and making that solution work.
Even though it’s not your traditional office setting, we have our own ways to stay connected. Our design team meets each morning on Hangouts to discuss what each of us are working on that day and if we need help with something then would be the time to ask. Some would ask ok but how does your team keep your tasks tracked? We use tools like Jira to help us stay organized with our to-do lists and it allows you to know who’s working on what and when it should be completed. When we want to communicate in a more relaxed way with our co-workers, we use Slack as our ‘water cooler’ we share gifs and talk about music or which new game we are playing.
From time to time, we have ‘Mobomo Days’ where we get together and work in an office. Recently we had an end of the year party where we spent a day at a rented country house where we could enjoy a pool and a dinner together. It is great being able to come together as a team to share laughs and jokes even though we don’t see one another day in and day out.
I have had an amazing experience working for Mobomo this past year, it has helped me grow professionally in many aspects, and it has given me the opportunity to meet awesome people, not only in the Buenos Aires team, but also in the U.S. I’m really excited to see what 2016 has in store and I’m fully charged to tackle on the new projects that come along.
