How to Keep Culture Alive in a Distributed Workforce: Insight from Procore’s Jessica Rosch
Jessica Rosch knows the secret to a successful distributed workforce.
It has nothing to do with productivity apps, perks, or flexible schedules — and everything to do with how engaged remote employees feel at work. And, she says, that engagement is driven by company culture sustained by management across remote teams.
“Engaged employees will do good work regardless of where they are. Disengaged employees will not. Location doesn’t matter; engagement does. That engagement is determined by company culture, which is very much in management’s control,” says the VP of Cloud Systems Engineering at Procore, who knows firsthand about crafting company culture that transcends the walls of the office.
We sat down with Jessica to hear more about how leaders can build a thriving company culture among a distributed workforce, as well as how her career path brought her to Procore and how she knew that Procore was the right fit for her.
From Musical Notation to Coding Languages
When she started college, Jessica planned on being a professional musician. But several years into a music performance major, she realized that she didn’t want to pursue music as a career.
She had liked taking computers apart and putting them back together as a kid, so she got a job in desktop support while in school. She liked it enough to change her degree to computer engineering, and went on to work full-time as an engineer after graduation.
“Many people actually pivot from music to some sort of STEM field,” reflects Jessica, mentioning their shared focus on structure and language.
Finding Cloud — and Procore
After working for several companies, from big-name multinationals to smaller startups, Jessica figured out what her computer science niche was: cloud computing.
“I'd always been attracted to internal customer-focused roles. That's where your infrastructure teams and your cloud-focused teams become relevant, because it’s more about building tools that other engineers can use than it is about building things for an external customer,” explains Jessica. “I like that internal feedback. I find it interesting, compelling, and satisfying to work on things that make a positive impact on productivity.”
When Procore reached out to Jessica, she was ready for a change. '"I wanted a balance between things that are interesting and push me to improve while having the opportunity to work with a great group of people based all over the globe” she says.'
“By the end of the interviews with Procore, I just wanted to keep talking with them because they were such a great group!” adds Jessica, smiling.
A year and a half into her tenure at Procore, Jessica is sure that she’s made a good decision.
“Procore is a human-focused company,” she explains. “Don’t get me wrong: the products we’re building for the construction industry are excellent, and the company cares deeply about the quality of the product; but not at the expense of the employees. The whole group, up through the top level of leadership, recognizes that it’s the humans that make the difference.”
Jessica wishes more fast-growing startups would recognize that.
“If you're asking, ‘How do I build an amazing product and make a huge impact on the industry?’, you have to start with a great team that wants to do good work. That's where innovation comes from. Unhappy people do not innovate,” she says.
7 Tips for Building a Strong Culture in a Distributed Team
Jessica has found that Procore’s human-first values of Openness, Optimism, and Ownership weren’t created (and aren’t maintained) by chance. And now, as a senior leader there herself, she’s able to contribute to their evolution, even in a world of long-term remote work.
Here’s what’s working for her:
- Recognize that culture doesn’t automatically translate to a remote environment. “Some companies fumble the ball a bit as they move to a remote environment, creating a gap between folks who are in the office and folks who are remote, where remote folks may feel undervalued and deprioritized,” she says. Examples of bridging this gap include being explicit about communication guidelines, like orienting towards written communications for people in different time zones, or adjusting how you’ll manage an annual hackathon to allow distributed teams the same socialization experiences as in-person teams.
- Don’t be in a rush to hire. “You have to make sure that you're hiring people who add to the culture, and that even when you're in a crunch to hire quickly, you don't enable the culture to become stagnant or stringent. It can’t be, ‘This is a red flag for this candidate, but we’ll let that go because we need to fill this spot.’ You need to prioritize culture add over culture fit as you lead and build your team.”
- Include people by making sure they feel heard. Jessica notes that inclusion is more than just making sure everyone feels welcome, it’s making sure everyone feels heard. “Inclusion is making sure that everybody feels that their voice has equal weight. That they can walk into a situation, have an opinion, be heard, and see change happen as a result of them being heard.” On a daily basis, says Jessica, that translates into management asking for feedback, being transparent about what they’re going to do with that feedback, and following through.
- Build trust by bringing people to you. It’s not just nice when your team trusts you — it’s vital, says Jessica. “If people don't feel comfortable talking to you about problems, you will find out about them once they are too big to resolve easily,” she adds. Building trust means going beyond offering open office hours, for instance, and instead scheduling a series of tailored skip-level meetings to make sure distributed team members have a chance to share what’s on their mind. “You have to not only open the door,” says Jessica. “Sometimes you have to go to the door (even if it’s a virtual one!), grab somebody, and bring them in.”
- Communicate often and with everyone. “Leadership that operates in a vacuum is never going to react quickly enough,” says Jessica. “Open your lines of communication in as many directions as you can keep up with. For leadership, if you're not regularly talking to the actual individual contributors on your teams, maybe three layers of management down, you’re missing out.” Jessica also suggests asking intentional questions that hold her as a leader accountable to better understand the experience of remote team members, such as: “Are there things I could be doing to make working as a remote employee at this company better?”
- Use travel primarily for team building. “When you can be physically in the same location, don’t use that time to drive out work details. Use that time to build the relationships that will enable you to drive out work details more effectively later,” she says.
- Don’t chase perfection, and publicly own your mistakes along the way. “Perfection is the enemy of progress. You are never going to get something perfect upon first delivery. And often if you try, you end up moving more slowly than you should,” says Jessica. “You have to be comfortable not only making mistakes, but also owning them publicly. That's part of how you build trust.”
10 Best (Global) Work-From-Home Friendly Cities
Did you know that 62% of the global workforce is remote?
That’s a lot! And it’s quite the increase from the pre-pandemic 19%.
It goes to show that remote work, whether hybrid or fully remote, has displayed its value to employers and employees alike. In fact, 91% of U.S. workers are hoping that remote work, or at least hybrid work, is here to stay.
Remote work may not be for everyone, but it provides unique benefits for many. And perhaps one of the most exciting things is that it offers the opportunity to choose where “home” is.
We've curated a list of cities around the world that offer some of the best environments for remote work. When selecting these cities, we focused on entertainment, nature and parks, language spoken, cost of living and safety, and, of course, internet speed.
So here are the 10 best work from home friendly cities to inspire you for your next adventure!
Madrid, Spain
Madrid was listed the top global capital city for remote work by the ETIAS blog this year.
Filled with beautiful architecture and rich in history, Madrid has just about everything a city lover could ask for. From museums and art galleries to hopping nightlife and bars, it’s no surprise that this romantic and bustling metropolis is a favorite for remote workers.
Average Internet Speed: 120 Mbps
Safety: High
Cost of Living (one person): $1,870/mo
Language(s) spoken: Spanish, some English
Tbilisi, Georgia
Although Tbilisi isn’t the most popular tourist destination, it is culturally rich and bursting with gorgeous architecture. This eye-catching city is perfect for remote workers who want to travel and explore new areas. This affordable location has a lot to offer between its many parks, delicious food, excellent shopping centers, hopping bars, and lovely views. For hiking and outdoor enthusiasts, the mountains are a short drive from the city, offering a moment of reprieve from this bustling metropolis.
Average Internet Speed: 27 Mbps
Safety: High
Cost of Living (one person): $1,002/mo
Language(s) spoken: Georgian, some English
Willemstad, Curaçao
Located on the Caribbean Sea, Willemstad is rich in history, diverse in culture, and filled with beautiful, historic architecture. It features an excellent art museum with works by Picasso, one of the largest UNESCO World Heritage Sites, gorgeous beaches, great nightlife, and plenty else to entertain.
Average Internet Speed: 10 Mbps
Safety: Moderate
Cost of Living (one person): $1,412/mo
Language(s) spoken: Papiamentu, Dutch, and English
Washington D.C., United States
Bursting with history and art, the sprawling city of Washington D.C. has it all in the form of entertainment, shopping, and culture. With a diverse population, multiple historical sites, museums, river rides, local shops, and breweries, there is always something to do in this hopping city.
Average Internet Speed: 121 Mbps
Safety: Moderate
Cost of Living (one person): $3,350/mo
Language(s) spoken: English
Prague, Czech Republic
From cafes and taverns to castles and cathedrals, this magical city drips with fairytale charm. And it’s this atmosphere that makes Prague a favorite destination for remote workers. Whether it’s the architecture, breweries, museums, art, music, or food, it’s hard not to feel enchanted with Prague.
Average Internet Speed: 104 Mbps
Safety: Very high
Cost of Living (one person): $1,521/mo
Language(s) spoken: Czech, German, Russian, and English
Bangkok, Thailand
A city of life, opportunity, adventure, and culture, Bangkok is a popular destination for remote workers from all around the globe. Constantly buzzing with energy, every turn in this city provides delicious street food, exciting nightlife, friendly locals, business opportunities, and shopping centers. In 2021, Bangkok ranked number one on the Nomad’s List top remote cities, and still remains a popular city for professionals with flexible work.
Average Internet Speed: 188 Mbps
Safety: ModerateCost of Living (one person): $1,194/mo
Language(s) spoken: Thai, some English
Lisbon, Portugal
The charming city of Lisbon has a little bit of something for everyone. This artistic, culturally rich city brimming with life, color, and beauty is the perfect destination for someone looking for a welcoming and vibrant work from home atmosphere. With friendly locals, lively markets, hopping nightlife, gorgeous beaches, and excellent museums, it’s no surprise that Lisbon made our list of best work from home cities.
Average Internet Speed: 109 Mbps
Safety: Very high
Cost of Living (one person): $1,498/mo
Language(s) spoken: Portuguese, some English
Budapest, Hungary
There is no finer city to enjoy a day off than the “Queen of the Danube” itself. Known for its springs, there are spas and baths located all over the city. From the Gellert Baths to Szechenyi Spa, there are countless means for relaxation once you’ve closed your laptop. Budapest has excellent nightlife, an international environment, a wide variety of cuisine, and plenty to see and do, making it an excellent environment for remote workers.
Average Internet Speed: 78 Mbps
Safety: High
Cost of Living (one person): $1,036/mo
Language(s) spoken: Hungarian, English
Gdansk, Poland
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Gdansk is a city filled with history as old as the Middle Ages and as recent as World War II. It has magnificent and varied architecture from Gothic to Art Deco, gorgeous parks, excellent breweries, river tours, and exciting nightlife. This culturally rich and exciting city is the perfect work from home atmosphere.
Average Internet Speed: 90 Mbps
Safety: Moderate
Cost of Living (one person): $1,111/mo
Language(s) spoken: Polish, German, and English
Groningen, Netherlands
Groningen is a city of unique energy. Its modern, youthful nightlife, international crowds, cafes, stores, and abstract architecture blend seamlessly with its historical architecture and monuments, museums, and parks. For the outdoor enthusiast, it’s also located 15 minutes from the silence of nature and farmland. Groningen has a little bit to offer everyone, making it a wonderful city to work from home from.
Average Internet Speed: 103 Mbps
Safety: Very high
Cost of Living (one person): $1,885/mo
Language(s) spoken: Dutch, Nedersaksisch, and English
Interested in working from anywhere in the world? Check out the open roles on our remote job board!
PowerToFly Partner Running Remote's Conference Comes Back with a Live Event in Montreal
Receive a special 20% off your ticket with code powertofly
After a few years of virtual events, our partner -- the world’s largest conference on remote work Running Remote -- is back with a live show! It will take place on May 17-18 in the iconic venue of Montreal New City Gas. You will meet the industry thought leaders such as Harry Moseley, CIO at Zoom, Jalie Cohen, GSVP HR at Adecco, and Jeff Shiner, CEO at 1Password. Hundreds of international leaders of distributed, remote-first and hybrid teams will flock to Canada next year to learn from each other, get inspired and propel their teams to new heights.
Get your pass only at $649 before April 1 at https://runningremote.com/. Receive a special 20% off your ticket with code powertofly.
And don't forget to catch Running Remote's Liam Martin at PowerToFly's upcoming virtual summit on The Future of Work: The Remote & Hybrid Office. Register for free HERE.
Remote work has propelled to the masses since Running Remote was launched in 2018. More than 6,000 people have attended this leading conference on remote work since then, and the Running Remote team continues to bring to you top-notch content on the latest methodologies on building and scaling remote teams. Hundreds of international leaders of distributed, remote-first and hybrid teams will flock to Canada next year to learn from each other, get inspired and propel their teams to new heights. Its live and virtual stages have welcomed executives from companies like Cisco, Zoom, Citrix, Twitter, Upwork, Vanguard, Toyota, Automattic and Pixar. Since 2018, more than 6,000 leaders have attended their events.
18 Jobs You Might Not Have Realized You Could Do Remotely
Weekend Roundup
As more and more companies contemplate making a permanent shift to remote work, the scope of roles that can be done remotely just keeps growing. We've rounded up 10 roles posted within the last week that you may not have realized could be done remotely!
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath
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Dell Technologies Austin, TX, United States(flexible) see details » |
YipitData New York City, NY, United States(flexible) see details » |
Spotify New York City, NY, United States(flexible) see details » |
Okta, Inc. New York City, NY, United States(flexible) see details » |
Contrast Security
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Pedago, LLC
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Avaaz
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Datawire
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Shogun
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Shogun
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Contrast Security
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Elastic United States(flexible) see details » |
Invesco, Ltd. Henley On Thames, United Kingdom(flexible) see details » |
PagerDuty
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Mission
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Okta, Inc. San Francisco, CA, United States(flexible) see details » |
Intuit Inc. Rock Hill, SC, United States(flexible) see details » |
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