Remote work – How we do it at Gorrion?

We became software developers for many reasons. For me, being able to work remotely from anywhere was one of the biggest motivations. So after a few months in Gorrion’s office and getting to know my project very well, I decided that it’s time to hit the road.
Living in the mountains was my desire for as long as I can remember. Nature, fresh air, beautiful views and opportunity to snowboard every day were my goals. I couldn’t choose better than a small town in the heart of Tyrolian Alps – Mayrhofen. Somehow I manage to get free accommodation. Fortunately, I met a friend from Australia (yes Australia, not Austria) in Canada, who knew someone from Mayrhofen. That’s a story for another time, but I guess those things are just working out themselves.   
Day after arrival I jumped back to work, ready to face some challenges with 100% remote work. Our team works in Scrum and our daily meetings are held online, so that wasn’t really any issue. There is a popular belief that remote work isolates from the team and that`s a little bit true. That’s why it was really important for me to be clear with my working hours every day. I made sure that I was available during this time on our communication channels – Slack and Skype.
Surprisingly another challenge was overworking, there’s no one to tell – “Take it easy, finish it tomorrow with a clear head.” I made sure to take regular breaks and openly ask my team for help when I was stuck. Another thing that I noticed is that good task prioritization is key to a smooth workflow. So I always make sure that the product owner knows what I was doing when it is going to be finished and what I’m going to do next.
What are the advantages of working remotely? Just look at these photos. Working from different part of the world gives a unique chance to grow your personality and career. I would encourage anyone with the opportunity to give it a try. Last but not least – it feels really good to be back at Gorrion’s office after 5 weeks, to see friendly faces and have a good coffee.