RE #164: Chris Herd & Jonathan Wasserstrum - A Conversation on Remote Work - Pros & Cons

Chris Herd is the Founder & CEO at Firstbase, which helps companies build infrastructure with a remote-first mindset. He takes the side of remote work being most beneficial in the future of work. Jonathan Wasserstrum is the Co-Founder and CEO of SquareFoot, which helps companies find commercial real estate and office space. Jonathan takes the side of in-person work being most beneficial in the future of work. On this episode, Chris Powers moderates a debate between Chris Herd and Jonathan about which method of running business will lead to greater levels of success. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Jonathan on Twitter Chris Herd on Twitter (02:51) - Jonathan and Chris’ Background and What They’re Doing Today (05:00) - What does remote work mean to each of you and how do you think about the concept? (10:09) - Jonathan - Do you define SquareFoot as a remote-first or office-first company? (12:07) - How are leaders deciding whether they’ll be an office or remote company? (16:36 ) -  Trust Between Employers and Employees (18:56) - What’s the Cadence of Coming Together as a Team and Being Able to Work Remotely (25:40) - How does size or prestige of a company impact the ability of employees to influence the decision on remote vs. in person? (31:20) - Is there any danger to your long term career-worth by choosing to leave a company that’s mandates in-office work? (35:47 ) - Relationship/Friendship Building In-Office vs. Remote No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings (46:27) - What are the signals or data points to see what matters in either taking a company remote or discovering how much time is ‘needed’ in-office over the next 5 years? (51:03) -  Where are a lot of these remote-radicals going to live and work? (55:27) - Data on Where People Want to Start Technology Companies Pre and Post Covid (1:01:19) -  How do you think about the next generation of workers coming out of school and only understanding a remote-work life. Do they miss out on mentorship or human interaction? (1:10:08) - How do promotions get delegated on in-person workers and remote? (1:11:43) - Trust and Tracking within Remote Companies (1:16:25) - Wrap Up & Closing Statements The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts