While some employers have taken an ad-hoc approach, others are being proactive: appointing high-ranking leaders solely dedicated to making remote work thrive throughout an organisation. Many companies have struggled: virtual working has been a moving target with no precedent organisations, in some cases, have implemented hybrid or work-from-anywhere policies without formal processes in place. One of the most pertinent issues has been how to establish best practices around remote set-ups. In the new world of work, business needs have shifted. We wanted a cohesive strategy in forging deeper connections, both in person and virtually.” “While we had the right processes in place for our work, there was a gap after Covid-19. “The landscape changed following the pandemic,” says Warrington. While Doist, founded in Barcelona, has been fully remote for 15 years, the business decided in October 2021 that it needed a senior-level position to lead its distributed model. “It’s looking at all elements of the team specifically through the lens of remote-first: what we need to upgrade or change to perfect our infrastructure.” “My role is like a consultancy on remote working,” explains Warrington, based in Valencia, Spain. He says his job is cross-functional: alongside designing company retreats across Europe, current day-to-day tasks involve coordinating with the finance department on a compensation strategy for 100 global employees, and liaising with HR on a new internal communications tool.

Warrington leads the remote strategy for productivity-software firm Doist. “Human connection was the top priority when I took the role.” “I’m in charge of our company offsites – it’s crucial to have a good IRL strategy among distributed teams,” he explains. For a head of remote work, Chase Warrington ends up spending much of his workday focusing on the in-person experience.

Doist company