🤦🏼‍♂️ Romney and Manchin vs. WFH

Good Morning,

Another week, another CEO blaming remote work for losses — though Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi claiming remote work has negatively impacted his company is a legitimate, data-backed observation.

With more companies enforcing a return to the office, more people will take rideshare services to work. And Khosrowshahi isn’t shy about welcoming that trend.

He says, “some folks may not like that, but we love it here at Uber, people getting back to work and getting back to the office.”

I can’t really blame him since he’s looking out for his business.

But I think I’ll use Lyft this week instead 🙃

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Remote Source Job Board

Featured companies:

Arc’teryx Equipment: 5 remote jobs
FullStory: 10 remote jobs
Avesis: 23 remote jobs

🤝 Find Remote Jobs Here

Need to Know

🚩 Dell goes full Scarlet Letter on remote workers
Earlier this year, Dell made headlines when they announced that all employees need to be either hybrid or fully in-office if they want to be eligible for any promotions.

Now, it’s been leaked that they are color-coding their office attendance on each employee’s HR record:

• Blue flag: “consistent onsite presence”

• Green flag: “regular onsite presence”

• Yellow flag: “some onsite presence”

• Red flag: “limited onsite presence”

Interesting color codes, clearly giving the fully in-office employees the blue Dell stamp of approval.

This article cheekily points out that in 2022, Michael Dell himself had a different opinion:

RIP to his forward-thinking. (Tech.co)

🤦🏼‍♂️ Senators Romney and Manchin introduce anti-remote work bill
It’s an unfortunate example of out-of-touch senators living in the past. On Tuesday, Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) proposed a bill that would limit federal employees’ remote work to 40% of working hours.

Joe Manchin absurdly wants everything to go back to how it was before:

Sure, plenty of us want “pre-pandemic normalcy” in a lot of ways - and I do sympathize with local businesses that see less traffic - but remote work brings too much economic benefit to be taken out of the equation.

Mitt Romney also chimed in: he’s in favor of companies getting back to using empty buildings that have been rendered unnecessary by remote work.

It’s the same tactic bank and other company leaders have used: if it’s being paid for, we should use it. They don’t ever seem to consider whether commuting presents its own additional costs to their remote employees and even the company itself; they just want to assert control over their workforces and prevent further losses on their personal commercial real estate investments and loans.

Further, exceptions to this bill will include positions needing “highly specialized expertise,” and positions that are difficult to recruit for.

So they’re basically saying if you’re really good at your job, you don’t have to waste your time commuting to an office.

Upsetting to see that our leaders won’t consider the benefits the federal workforce has gained by enacting remote work. (Government Executive)

🏝️ This couple has no regrets about becoming digital nomads
Brent Hartinger and Michael Jensen have been living abroad since selling their Seattle house in 2017. Both had become increasingly dissatisfied with their lives in the US, had established careers, and had the ability to work remotely — so after learning about the term “digital nomads,” they dove right in.

They’ve traveled across the world, visiting dozens of countries, experiencing highs and lows, and documenting details in their newsletter.

Despite having a good social circle in Seattle, they now feel more social than ever before.

They are constantly meeting new people, and while they say goodbye more often, “you can say hello again, by meeting up with old friends in new countries all over the world. This may be our single favorite thing about this lifestyle.” (Yahoo!)

⚽️ Manchester United owner enforces return to office
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, one of the richest men in the UK and a minority owner of soccer club Manchester United, has told all remote employees they need to return to the office or seek new employment.

His rationale was brief: apparently at one of his companies (he’s founder and CEO of chemicals group INEOS), they found that 20% fewer emails were sent when they experimented with “work from home Fridays.”

There are clearly lots of problems with this finding given the lack of explanation, and it feels like an experiment that was expected (and maybe even designed) to fail from the start.

Many employees are upset about this edict, and rightfully so. There’s a ripe opportunity here for competing clubs to poach Manchester United’s top off-field talent — something that should be easy for them to understand. (The Guardian)

👩🏿‍💻 Best remote jobs for entry-level job seekers
WalletHub analyzed 108 entry-level jobs and ranked them based on criteria such as immediate opportunity and growth potential. Forbes took their analysis and ranked the top 10 that are most commonly done remotely:

1. Software engineer

2. Operations research analyst

3. Web applications developer

4. Benefits analyst

5. Database administrator

6. Programmer

7. Web designer

8. Market research analyst

9. Web content writer

10. Financial analyst

While it’s broad, it could help the entry-level candidates in your life if they’re actively seeking remote roles. And of course, we have examples of all of these on the Remote Source Job Board. (Forbes)

Stuff We Like

❌ 5 red flags for remote job seekers
If you’re interviewing with or just began working for a new company in a remote role, these are worth keeping an eye out for:

• Lack of communication: if they aren’t responsive in the interview process, it’s not likely that will change in the job itself

• Micromanagement: sometimes it’s veiled as onboarding, but if you’re not given the autonomy to make decisions in your role, it may already be time to reconsider companies

• No remote onboarding: unless you’re at an incredibly small company, those with quality remote policies should have clear onboarding processes for their employees

• Lack of equipment support: look out for companies who ask you to deposit checks or do anything that feels out of the ordinary

• Bait and switch: going from claiming you can always be remote, to requiring time in the office

Have you personally experienced any of these? Would love to hear from you if so (and we won’t share any details publicly). (Fast Company)

💼 Job Board: Power to Fly
The Power to Fly job board was built with diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in mind. It also has a filter for remote jobs, where it currently has just over 3,100 remote job openings listed. (Power to Fly)

📝 Use personal branding to supercharge your resume
These ideas from Forbes can help candidates stand out even more in a job market that’s more competitive than we’ve seen in the recent past:

• Define your personal brand: determine what sets you apart from others

• Craft a compelling summary: highlight key skills while writing in your own personal tone

• Share your biggest achievements and how they’ve shaped your career: this is an opportunity to illustrate your passion while helping the hiring manager envision your future success with their company

• Think carefully about your design: it’s smart to stand out in subtle ways, as long as your changes remain compatible with ATSs (applicant tracking systems)

• Give insights into how you spend your free time: while never the focus of the resume, it helps showcase your personality outside the workplace

• Let your authentic self shine through: use genuine and engaging language

• Continuously update your resume to reflect your journey: ensure your values, experiences, and voice are all represented well to potential employers

There’s no perfect amount of “personal branding” to include in a resume; it should be tailored to the individual. These guidelines may help you strike the balance that fits you best. (Forbes)

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