Video and messaging enable remote work. But is it right for your company?

Just because it’s possible doesn’t mean it’s smart.

Four day work week. Open plan offices. Work life balance. Remote work. There are endless ways to set up your team and company for success. And there’s evidence for and against all of these scenarios.

Take remote work for instance. Owl Labs reports that 44% of global companies don’t allow it. While Gallup reports that 43% of all Americans work remotely at least some of the time.

So what’s the right answer? Well that depends on what your goals are. But no matter what, the important thing is to make a decision and stick with it.

Because no matter what decision you’re making – personal, professional, big or small – it’s important to commit 100%. And when that decision is likely to impact your company’s culture for years to come, you better hope to get it right.

So when Buffer’s co-founder and CEO, Joel Gascoigne, decided to close down one of their offices, I gave him one key piece of advice. Commit to either placing the entire team in the remaining office or establish a 100% remote workforce. Both scenarios can work, but a mix of the two will only set you up to fail.

When everyone is remote, that becomes one of the defining characteristics of a company’s culture. People have no option but to get their work done and collaborate virtually. And an entirely remote culture can both draw in candidates attracted to this way of working and remove those who know they won’t be able to thrive working remotely.