Jim Coughlin

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.

Disappeared for a month. Got married in Ireland. Took my first real break since starting Remotivated.

By “real break” I mean:

didn't even check if the wifi was good

actually took full weekends off

deleted socials

was present at my own wedding (novel idea)

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.

Ping
Them: “hi”
You: fight-or-flight sequence initiated…

Slack’s own etiquette guide spells it out: “Never send a direct message that just says ‘hey’ or ‘hello.’”

Context-free greetings from managers or people leaders spike anxiety and make us imagine the worst.

Unsolicited webinar invites are not cold outreach. This would be like if junk mail companies just sent an envelope of glitter, there is only one possible response.

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.

PSA: If you don't love the idea of your DNA being sold at auction, you can log into 23andme - Settings - 23andme Data and permanently delete your data.

no hello please don't say just hello in chat

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.

Remote Communication Pet Peeve: The Dreaded "Hi" Message

"Hi"
...
[3 minutes later]
"Do you have a minute?"
...
[20 minutes later]
"Sure, what do you need?"

So much time wasted. It's not rude to get straight to the point—it's transparent and efficient!

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.

🎉 It's Employee Appreciation Day TODAY and no, you can't just ask your team to appreciate each other! Gratitude cannot be delegated.

If you're a leader who hasn't planned anything yet, don't panic. Here are three things you can do right now that actually matter:

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.

The cognitive dissonance is stunning: Newsom wants to "hire federal workers fleeing Musk's DOGE layoffs" while simultaneously forcing everyone back to offices.
The SEIU called it "out of touch, unnecessary, and a step backward." They're right.

If there's one thing both California's leadership and the federal administration seem to agree on, it's pushing people back to offices. But consensus doesn't equal correctness.

What's particularly disappointing is seeing workplace flexibility treated as a pandemic-era exception rather than a permanent evolution.
Remote work shouldn't be a political issue – it benefits everyone who values outcomes over presence.

Let's be real: California employs 224,000 and is kind of a big place. At this scale, you're effectively stuck with the challenges of remote work whether you like it or not. The only optional thing is if you are also going to receive the enormous benefits of remote work.

California's forcing state employees back to offices 4 days/week with the same tired narrative: "collaboration improves, innovation thrives." 🙄
That's the same low-effort spin we've heard from Dell, JPMorgan, and "DOGE." Different letterheads, identical thinking.