--- title: "Daily Buzz: How to Make Remote Workforces Work" id: "44765" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-how-to-make-remote-workforces-work" published_at: "2018-11-14T20:59:41+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T23:09:01+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/11/14/daily-buzz-how-to-make-remote-workforces-work/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/11/14/daily-buzz-how-to-make-remote-workforces-work.md" excerpt: "GitLab, a software company, has 350 employees who all work remotely. The organization made $10.5 million in revenue in 2017. Here’s how they did it. Also: how longtime members can increase the value of your association." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "community data" - "Member Engagement" - "Membership" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Daily Buzz: How to Make Remote Workforces Work You’ve heard the conversations about remote workforces: There are many pros and cons, but when it comes down to it, do they work? Take it from [GitLab (opens in a new tab)](https://about.gitlab.com/) that a fully remote team can work: The software company made $10.5 million in revenue last year and received a $100 million fund raise in September that landed it a $1 billion valuation—with all 350 employees working from home. “What we’ve learned from GitLab is that when you have a leadership team that’s as committed to remote-only as they are, and as communicative and transparent as they are, and as insistent on documentation as they are, it can work,” says Dave Munichiello, a general partner at Alphabet’s venture capital arm, GV, which invested in GitLab in 2017, [in an interview with Inc (opens in a new tab)](https://www.inc.com/cameron-albert-deitch/2018-inc5000-gitlab.html) . One of GitLab’s biggest lessons: Although employees might be remote, they should never feel isolated. The team, which is spread across 45 countries, uses video technology and messaging communications to stay connected. Virtual coffee breaks are also built into everyone’s schedules, and senior leaders host open office hours in video chat rooms that are accessible to all workers—measures that were put into place to give employees a greater sense of community. ### Let Long-Serving Members Share Their Expertise > Great article! Retaining longtime members: what we thought we know by [https://t.co/sL9rNfJtUx (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/sL9rNfJtUx) > by Marice Fernando via [@assn_success (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/assn_success?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#AssnChat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/AssnChat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Amanda Lea Kaiser (@AmandaLeaKaiser) [November 13, 2018 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/AmandaLeaKaiser/status/1062359006482718720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **As memberships continue through the years,** it’s possible that some longtime members will become less engaged. “We assumed that creating new resources for this segment or directing them to relevant resources would increase their engagement and renewal rates,” [says Marice Fernando in a post on Association Success (opens in a new tab)](http://www.associationsuccess.org/article/retaining-longtime-members-what-we-though?MessageRunDetailID=62010379&PostID=3029292) . But after talking with long-serving members, they expressed that they didn’t want extra resources—they wanted to share their knowledge. “This was an ‘a-ha moment’ that challenged our assumptions and spurred us to adjust our approach,” Fernando says. “Instead of directing our longtime members to resources, we invited *them* to be experts and resources.” If your are in a similar position, consider reaching out to your longtime members to see how they could increase the value of your association’s community. ### Other Links of Note **The holiday season might be busy, but don’t disengage from your members.** The MemberClicks blog offers [tips for interacting—yet not overwhelming—members during the festivities (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.memberclicks.com/how-to-prevent-your-members-from-going-dark-this-holiday-season) . **Marketing is changing.** *CMSWire* shares [the four factors defining its future (opens in a new tab)](https://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/the-4-factors-defining-marketings-future/) . **Unconscious bias can affect how you plan a meeting.** *MeetingsNet* breaks down [terms that could signal problems in planning (opens in a new tab)](https://www.meetingsnet.com/event-design-ideas/welcoming-event-design-rethink-your-biases) . (shironosov/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Jeff Hsin](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) Tags: [#community data](https://associationsnow.com/tag/community-data/) [#Member Engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-engagement/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [ArticleThe Community Advantage: Centering Humans in the Age of AIAugust 12, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/12/the-community-advantage-centering-humans-in-the-age-of-ai/) - [VideoCommunity Voices: Pat BlakeSeptember 15, 2021](https://associationsnow.com/2021/09/15/community-voices-pat-blake/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2018%2F11%2F14%2Fdaily-buzz-how-to-make-remote-workforces-work%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !