Nov 30 2023 27 mins
In this episode of Off Mute, Remote's Chief People Officer Barbara Matthews is joined by Joel Gascoigne, the CEO of Buffer. Buffer is one of the world’s most popular social media management platforms and an all-remote company that sets a high standard for transparency.
Joel shares the story behind Buffer's pioneering decision in 2013 to become a fully distributed company, driven by values like freedom, flexibility, and exceptional customer service. He reflects on how Covid-19 accelerated remote work while also revealing the challenges many companies faced in transitioning, pointing out the differences between deliberate remote work and remote work born of necessity. He provides tangible advice on building connection, community and effective collaboration across time zones with Buffer's 80+ employees in 23 countries. Joel and Barbara also discuss how Buffer's culture of transparency enhances remote work and share examples of ways to be inclusive yet fair.
We also explore how Buffer is leveraging AI, both internally to aid workflows and externally within their product to solve key customer problems like repurposing content. Joel leaves us with some amusing anecdotes about the unexpected perils of distributed work and how he solves tech failures when off the grid.