Matt Mullenweg’s (CEO, Automattic) Five Levels Of Remote Work
By: Paul Millerd
Tags: Technology, Work, Business, Remote Work, Productivity

Remote work is poorly understood and for good reason. What most people have experienced is merely being “allowed” to work remotely on occasion, having to stay home with someone sick in the family, logging in while traveling or waiting for the cable guy to install internet.

While I am a fan of remote working I am not sure that most companies realize that experimenting with remote work until the end of the covid-19 crisis is a free strategy option. I’ll detail more of what I mean at the end, but first its worth helping you re-frame how you think about remote work.

Over the last ten years many “remote-first” companies have been rethinking how work should get done and have discovered that to truly thrive as a distributed, remote organization there is an inevitable learning curve that one must progress.

Matt Mullenweg has been one of the biggest proponents of this way of working and is the CEO of Automattic, which employs more than 1,000 people “in 75 countries speaking 93 different language.”

In a podcast with Sam Harris he outlined his “ five levels of remote work “ which I thought was the best explanation of some of the subtle differences between different levels of remote work and I decided to break them down to help companies understand this journey.

Remote Work 101

Most people are familiar with the experience of level 1 or level 2 remote work. During the covid-19 crisis many employees are finding themselves in a “copy the office” experience of remote work still being available during the same hours they would in an office.

Level 1 — Emergency

Working from home is not easy, but possible. If you have to.

Basics: Have internet, cell phone, some way to access email

Have internet, cell phone, some way to access email Work if possible: Usually can put things off until back in office because that’s how most people work

Usually can put things off until back in office because that’s how most people work Mindset: “we don’t know what employees are doing” therefore you want to minimize the ability for people to work remotely or flexibly as much as possible

Level 2 — Copy The Office

In level two, companies have better tools and access to working remotely, but it is still mostly for people who have an excuse. In this scenario, the company is still designed to operate around an in-person dynamic and people who are working remotely are expected to follow similar hours and procedures as everyone else. At this level if someone starts working remotely full-time it is often with the understanding that the person will be harming their long-term career prospects.

Language : outdated terms like “telecommute”

: outdated terms like “telecommute” Requirements : Need to be able to access things from the office

: Need to be able to access things from the office Default mode : synchronous; Copying “office hours” 8am-5pm; factory model for knowledge work

: synchronous; Copying “office hours” 8am-5pm; factory model for knowledge work Pitfalls : More tracking, screenshots of screens

: More tracking, screenshots of screens Challenges for workers: removing some freedom & agency, may end up being even less productive

Inflection Points