Life at Grow Remote
We asked our team to share their thoughts on what it’s like to work with a fast-growing, innovative and fully remote social enterprise.
Next up, General Manager, John, and Operations Lead, Cait.
Tell us about a typical day in your working life.
John:
Outside of work, I am not one for routine. Some days I get up at 7 am and go to the gym but it’s just as likely that I will get up 20 minutes before my first meeting and, a cup of coffee later, I am sitting at the desk. I am very lucky to be living in the old farmhouse that I grew up in and we have plenty of space. Having a room I can call the office is great.
I tend to do more online meetings than most of the team, but I enjoy that and find the time flies by as I jump from one to another. My biggest challenge is finding the space to do the longer, more focused pieces of work such as a proposal for a new project, or reporting to our stakeholders on existing work. But as the team grows, I find others are taking more and more of this off my desk, which is great.
I try to get out of the office and go for a walk and make a few calls at least once everyday. This and other small strategies to make work and life a little bit healthier and happier is a constant point of conversation among the team.
Cait:
There is no such thing as a typical day as Operations Lead with Grow Remote. My day will usually start by checking emails before a morning catch-up with the team. Each day is different depending on what priorities I am working on that week.
My time is split between each of the Operational core functions and their associated objectives and tasks. The communication between the team at Grow Remote is excellent and really makes it feel like I work closely with my colleagues all day, and I certainly never feel isolated.
Looking at your past experience, what has been the most useful to you in this role with Grow Remote?
John:
A couple of things come to mind for this. The first one is, as a manager, to never be the block to others getting their work done. I try to be responsive to the team (they might have a different experience).
In my most recent role (I joined Grow Remote just over a year ago), I was a manager for an accelerator programme for social enterprises and was great at giving advice and guidance to others who were endeavouring to scale innovative non-profit organisations. I have been thrilled to have the opportunity to implement a lot of that advice and to find that it actually works.
Cait:
Probably setting up and running my own business has been most useful to me for my role with Grow Remote. Understanding how challenging and isolating it can be for a fast-growing start up, and especially understanding the operations side of things, has allowed me to help the team at Grow Remote to be able to focus on their own important work and leave the operational side of things to me.
What do you enjoy most about life at Grow Remote?
John:
I love the buzz of building something really worthwhile that is going to leave a lasting imprint on this country. I love that we are doing it with a group of great people who share the vision of a more equal Ireland and I love the fun we have while doing it.
Cait:
I enjoy lots of things about working with Grow Remote but the number one thing has to be the team of people I work with on a daily basis. I believe the people behind a business are as important as the vision, mission and goals of the business itself. Every member of the Grow Remote team is intelligent, energetic, driven and authentic. We all share similar values and a passion for the work being done at Grow Remote.
Tell us one interesting fact about yourself
John:
I once unsuccessfully ran with the bulls in Pamplona
Cait:
I have had lunch on top of an active volcano.
