I’m back. Detox complete. Ready to retox on remote work debates.

What’s the longest you’ve unplugged? Did you miss the work or just being “busy”?

But disconnecting showed me what I actually missed: real convos about remote work, debates that matter, connecting with people building better workplaces.

Turns out time off isn’t escaping your life. It’s remembering why you built it.

How it went:
→ Week 1: withdrawals, vibe coding at the airport
→ Week 2: “huh, the world didn’t end?”
→ Week 3: remembered how to think without pings
→ Week 4: actually missed this community

The surprising part? Early in the trip I kept wanting to check in fearing missed opportunities.

It’s not rude to get straight to the point—it's transparent and efficient! Sure, include all the pleasantries you want, but also include your ask in the same message.

Under Preferences you can also direct for your samples to be disposed (default is to be stored) and just for good measure I also went through and revoked permission for everything else before requesting that my data be deleted.

And remember to be kind when correcting the "Hi"ers in your life—they're just trying to be nice, after all!

Screenshot is from the hilarious: nohello.net/en/

The solution? Always pair your greeting with context.
"Hi Sarah! Do you have the Q3 report handy? Need it for the client call at 2pm."

The highest-performing remote teams communicate with intention, not interruption.

Your employee appreciation strategy is an important part of your brand strategy.

I've already seen posts on social sharing appreciation initiatives that range from completely cringe to absolutely amazing. Make sure you're in the right group!

You should have a culture of appreciation and it should flow in every direction but worry about that tomorrow.
If you're still not sold, just imagine the reaction you'd get on Mother's Day if instead of doing something for your mom, you encouraged her to celebrate other Moms... yeah, same thing.

Remember: This isn't something you can delegate or turn into a "let's all appreciate each other" exercise. Today is about LEADERS showing genuine appreciation for their teams.

3️⃣ Announce an unexpected half-day or extended weekend sometime in March. If that creates coverage issues, have your leadership team fill in!

1️⃣ Send a personalized voice note or video to each team member highlighting a specific contribution they've made (not a mass email).
2️⃣ Send a digital gift card for something that shows that you listen. It doesn't have to be different for every person (although it could be) but do show some thought.

4 Days per week can be quite a bit depending on the other circumstances in someone's life.

I think it's interesting that people apply different rules to government employees than any other group. People are people and they deserve to be able to work and enjoy life, particularly when there's no downside (and actually many benefits) to allowing them that freedom.

Because people who need to be in the office to do their job have been back for a while now. Forcing people who could work remote to commute to an office is not efficient. Data shows people are more productive when working where they want to.

So relatable though, you couldn't manufacture a better ice breaker!

California had a chance to lead the future of work. Instead, they're retreating to the past.
What do you think – evidence-based policy or leadership theater?

Many agencies already gave up their real estate. Workers adjusted their lives, moved to affordable locations, and invested in home offices.
Now they face higher costs for gas, parking, and commuting in a state already grappling with astronomical cost of living, traffic and real estate prices.