►
From YouTube: GitLab's Universal Remote webcast: Shedding the Office Facade & Embracing Your Humanity
Description
GitLab's Head of Remote Darren Murph talks to Sprinklr's Andrew Kaiser about the mental health benefits that can come with remote work and how removing the pressures of an office allows for deep work.
Check out these resources:
GitLab's Remote Playbook: http://allremote.info/
Remote Work Report: https://about.gitlab.com/remote-work-report/
GitLab for remote teams: https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/remote-work/
A
B
B
So
I'm
Darin,
I'm,
head
of
remote
at
gate,
lab
I've
worked
across
the
spectrum
of
remote
for
14
years,
and
in
this
show
we
want
to
share
some
of
the
best
practices
that
we've
learned
here
at
get
lab
as
an
all
remote
team,
as
well
as
talk
to
other
amazing,
interesting
and
insightful
people
from
across
the
industry
to
share
their
perspectives
on
remote.
We
know
there's
a
lot
of
great
content
out
there.
We
want
ours
to
be
as
a
digestible,
actionable
and
as
fun
as
possible.
B
So
with
that,
let's
dive
right
in
joining
us
today
is
Andrew
he's
a
solutions
consultant
at
sprinkler.
I'm
also
told
he's
a
plant
parent,
dedicated
academic
turn
tech,
specialist
and
tattoo
aficionado,
Andrew
I
love
that
you've
described
yourself
as
and
I
quote,
a
PhD
dropout
turned
uncompromisingly
best-in-class
social
strategist
specializing
in
consumer
brands.
I
feel
like
we
just
needed
to
walk
music
to
go
along
with
that,
so
welcome
Andrew.
Thanks
for
joining
the
show,
tell
the
audience
a
bit
about
yourself.
What
you
do
is
sprinkler
and
how
long
you've
been
working
yeah.
A
Sure
thing
so,
thanks
for
having
me
so,
as
we
already
said,
I
am
a
plant
dad,
so
you're
gonna
get
a
peek
of
my
office
background.
I
do
have
some
plants.
Are
there
certainly
am
a
tattoo
aficionado,
but
yes,
I
am
I'm.
A
PhD
dropout
I
dropped
out
of
my
PhD
very
proudly
about
six
seven
years
ago
and
since
then,
I've
been
looking
in
the
in
the
social
and
the
social
tech
space
I
work
for
a
sprinkler
now
we're
the
world's
first
unified
from
office.
A
B
So
still
relatively
new
to
that,
okay,
yeah,
so
I've
worked
in
co-located
spaces,
I've
worked
in
hybrid
remote
scenarios
and
now
I
get
lab.
We
have
over
1200
people
and
over
65
countries
all
remote
and
they
all
have
their
own
nuances
and
their
own
differences
I'm
just
curious
what
your
kind
of
core
takeaways
are
in
going
remote
since
January.
Are
there
any
things
that
you
miss?
B
Are
there
any
things
that
you've
discovered
that
you
actually
love
more
than
you
thought
you
would,
and
how
is
this
impacting
both
your
work,
the
people
around
you
and
how
much
of
it
is
tied
to
the
current
situation
that
we're
in
which,
for
historical
context,
is
in
the
the
back
half
of
the
Cova
nineteen
pandemic,
which
has
essentially
most
of
the
world
working
remotely
for
those
who
can't
work
remotely?
Yes,.
A
Yeah
so
my
role,
starting
in
January,
the
old
world
as
I
like
to
call
it,
my
role
has
been
remote
since
the
start,
I'm
full-time,
remote,
I,
don't
have
an
office
here
in
Philadelphia
where
I
live.
My
my
kitchen
is
my
office,
you
know
I'll,
say
I
started
working
remotely
in
January
and
it
has
been
a
lot
harder
than
I
thought
it
would
be.
I
did
not
realize
that
you
know.
Working
remotely
is
a
skill
there
is.
A
I
would
kind
of
have
this
like
creeping
anxiety
that
would
progress
throughout
the
day
and
I
realized
really
quickly
that
that
that
meant
I
had
not
successfully
differentiated
working
from
home
from
being
at
home
on,
and
so
that's
just
one
like
kind
of
microcosm
of
what
it
was
like
to
adjust
to
working
from
home.
Now
I'll
say:
I
I
had
reached
a
really
good
balance
right
before
this
all
kind
of
hit.
The
Kovan
thing
hit
and
it's
kind
of
all
been
on
lockdown.
A
You
know
the
first
few
weeks
I
did
a
really
great
job
at
getting
dinner
with
a
friend
after
work,
booking
myself
a
workout
class,
so
that
I
had
to
go
and
I
couldn't
just
lay
on
the
couch
for
an
hour.
I
put
a
lot
of
effort
into
leaving
my
apartment,
leaving
where
I
work,
so
I
could
kind
of
trick.
My
brain
into
thinking-
oh
you
commuted
you're,
not
working
anymore,
you're,
you're.
A
Switching
that
part
of
your
brain
off
so
I
think
you
know
successful
remote
workers
really
need
to
put
that
time
in
to
trick
your
brain
into
actually
thinking.
Okay,
I've
left
work,
even
though
I'm
going
four
feet
away.
I
went
on
a
walk
around
the
block
or
I
just
went
upstairs
for
a
few
minutes
and
I
completely
separated
myself.
So
I
said.
That's
that's
one
very
small
example
of
the
effort
I've
had
to
put
in
to
learn
the
skill
of
being
a
remote
worker
yeah.
B
It's
very
interesting
in
that
there
you
can't
just
go
from
the
office
into
home
and
just
think
that
everything
is
going
to
be
the
same
unconsciously.
You
actually
worked
a
lot
of
habits
and
rituals
into
your
day
when
you
are
commuting
back
and
forth,
and
that
actually
provided
some
structure
and
rigidity
to
your
brain
of
okay,
I'm,
here
now
I'm
here
now,
and
this
helps
compartmentalize.
When
that
line
is
blurred
very
suddenly,
it
can
be
jarring
and
disorienting
and
actually
get
like.
B
One
thing
that
I
recommend
for
people
that
are
used
to
having
a
commute
is
to
plan
something
in
their
calendar
with
the
time
they
used
to
spend
commuting,
whether
that's
sleeping
more,
whether
that's
reading,
whether
that's
cooking,
cleaning,
doing
anything.
If
you
plant
it
in
your
day,
it
helps
you
kind
of
mentally
ramp
into
the
day
and
ramp
out,
instead
of
letting
work
or
something
else
to
sort
of
consume
it.
B
And
then
it's
just
this
one
unambiguous
blob
of
a
day,
and
we
had
talked
a
little
bit
earlier,
one
of
the
interesting
perks
of
remote
work
that
and
then
we're
kind
of
getting
on
the
second
order
of
once
you're
once
you're
stabilized.
Why
should
you
keep
working
remotely
what's
in
this
for
companies?
What's
in
this
for
team
leaders?
B
There's
a
certain
amount
of
pomp
and
circumstance,
there's
a
reason
why
people
will
dress
a
certain
way
and
they
check
a
piece
of
themselves
at
the
door
every
day
so
that
you
kind
of
get
the
worker,
but
not
really
the
actual
individual
and
in
a
remote
setting
that
subjectivity
doesn't
really
have
a
place.
You
have
to
measure
metrics,
you
have
to
measure
results
and
what
you
look
like
on
a
given
day
really
has
no
bearing
on
it
and.
B
It's
a
massively
liberating
thing
to
embrace
because
you
said,
spend
a
lot
of
mental
cycles
on
the
quote/unquote
charade
and
it
does
no
one
in
and
I
think
we
all
kind
of
realize
that
and
remote
kind
of
gives
us
all
permission
to
say:
look
the
charade
is
out
the
window.
Let's
spend
our
mental
cycles
on
something
more
creative.
So
how
have
you
seen
that
play
out
and
what
truth
have
you
seen
in
that
yeah.
A
I
mean
there
have
been
a
few
adjustments
right
we're
now.
A
lot
of
us
are
working
remotely.
I'd
say
the
number
one
thing
I've
found
is
that,
as
folks
are
working
from
home,
some
folks
are
in
their
sweatpants
right.
Some
folks
are
they
have
a
kid
screaming
in
the
background,
which
is
fine,
it
shows
that
we're
all
human
but
I
want
everyone
to
embrace
a
little
bit
more.
Is
that
we're
all
human
right
like
we're
all
working
from
home
and
I
think
a
side
effect
of
that
is?
A
You
balance
those
micro
interactions
that
you
used
to
have
in
the
hallway,
with
just
focusing
on
doing
deep
work
and
not
focusing
on
the
charade
of
the
theatrics
of
being
in
the
office,
though
those
are
the
things
that
I've
really
loved
and
ultimately
saving
that
energy
of
what
I
used
to
do
with
you
know
what
Andrea
and
I
today.
What
role
am
I
playing?
Let's
focus
on
playing
the
role
of
being
in
the
office
I.
A
Can
one
focus
that
on
just
doing
better
work,
but
also
working
remotely
in
that
sense
has
been
a
godsend
for
my
mental
health?
As
someone
who
over
thinks
a
lot
and
I
overthink,
you
know
the
interactions
I
might
have
like
what
was
on
my
monitor
when
my
boss
walked
behind
me.
How
did
I
interact
with
that
person?
It's
just
the
great
equalizer
in
that
sense,
and
it
lets
me
not
worry
about
those
things
and
just
do
good
work.
It's.
B
So
well
said
remote
I
think
is
largely
democratizing
work
in
a
huge
way.
I've
been
asked
by
talent,
leaders
that
suddenly
have
hundreds
or
thousands
of
employees
that
are
all
distributed
all
over
the
world.
What
should
I
do
to
ensure
that
the
bonds
remain,
that
there
are
good
relationships
between
them
and
it's
an
interesting
question,
because
there
are
certainly
some
attentional
things
you
can
do
get
lab.
We
do
things
like
happy
hour
social
hours.
B
We
recently
did
a
talent
show
where
we
had
over
a
hundred
and
thirty
people
in
six
continents
doing
crazy
talents
on
zoom'
when
we
actually
have
a
panel
of
judges
and
prizes
were
given
out.
It's
very
elaborate,
very
well
thought-out.
So
we
can
do
things
like
that,
but
just
the
simple
fact
of
interacting
with
executives
and
leaders
in
their
homes
and
seeing
that
oh,
oh
they're,
they're,
homeschooling,
kids,
OH
their
dog
actually
barks
at
FedEx
as
well.
B
B
Let's
just
admit
that
we're
humans
first
colleagues,
second
we're
kind
of
all
in
this
together,
yeah
that
allows
you
to
spend
your
mental
energy
on
things
that
are
more
important
and
it
also
allows
you
to
empathize
more
with
each
person
you
interact
with,
which
helps
you
get
work
done.
There
are
less
preconceived
notions
of.
Why
is
this
person
struggling?
Why
is
this
person
not
getting
back
with
me?
Well
take
a
look
at
what's
going
on
in
that.
Well,
you
empathize
and
understand,
and
also
offer
a
helping
hand.
B
A
B
Hope
people
lean
into
that
and
I
think
we're
reaching
this
point.
Where
teams
have
stabilized
enough
that
they're
starting
to
look
at
okay?
What
are
the
benefits?
One
of
the
opportunities
here
now
that
we're
in
this
environment-
and
you
didn't
mention
that
one
of
the
perks
of
being
remote
is
it's
easier
to
get
deep
focus
time,
it's
easier
to
just
put
your
head
down
plow
through
work
and
then
make
time
for
other
things,
but
one
thing
that
I've
seen
is
that
it's
also
easy
to
never
look
up.
B
It's
also
easy
to
just
get
in
a
work
mode
and
kind
of
forget
that
you
need
to
get
out
of
it
at
some
point,
and
so
I
do
want
to
touch
touch
on
the
topic
of
avoiding
burnout
being
self
aware
of
setting
your
own
boundaries,
but
I
want
to
take
a
deeper
dive
in
this
of
you
know.
Beyond
the
surface,
you
and
I
were
talking
off
air
on
some
of
the
concerts
that
we've
seen
throughout
the
years
and
I
admit.
I
had
seen
some
crazy
concerts
that
I
remember.
B
They
were
like
defining
moments
in
my
life
that
happened
on
a
Tuesday
or
Wednesday
night.
That
would
have
been
fundamentally
impossible
to
arrange
to
do
if
not
for
the
flexibility
of
remote
work
and
notion
of
working
asynchronously
and
being
able
to
schedule
my
day
in
a
nonlinear
way,
then
I
could
get
work
done,
but
also
travel
and
also
be
in
these
places.
I've
been
able
to
kind
of
unlock
a
lot
of
opportunities.
I
think
remote
is
one
life's
great
cheat
code.
So
how
does
that
play
into
it?
A
You
likely
do
not
need
to
be
reached
right
now
and
I
think
that's
a
matter
of
as
we're
all
remote,
maybe
just
while
we're
evaluating
all
of
all
of
the
things
we
do
in
terms
of
our
workload,
all
of
our
behaviors
I
think
we
should
pay
special
attention
to.
Is
this
actually
critical
or
is
it
just
critical
to
my
workflow?
Did
I
plan
this
as
well
as
I?
Could
in
the
answer,
when
we
take
a
step
back
and
start
to
evaluate
that
is
very
few
things
in
our
work
are
critical.
A
If
you're
on
this,
if
you're
on
this,
you
are
likely
not
a
doctor,
people
do
not
live
and
die
by
your
output
by
the
work
you
do
and
so
I
think
I.
Think
you
bring
up
a
really
great
point
in
that.
If
we
actually
plan
our
work
accordingly
and
we
can
actually
start
to
differentiate
ourselves,
do
I
really
need
this
person's
attention
right
this
second,
and
it
doesn't
involve
my
productivity
or
might
workflow.
A
We
can
sort
of
restructure,
not
only
how
like,
where
we
work,
but
how
we
work
and
to
take
advantage
of
more
important
things
than
work
and
I
want
to
make
sure
I.
Let
the
gravity
of
that
sentence
hang
for
a
second
more
important
things
than
work,
because
there
are
a
lot
of
things
that
are
much
more
important
than
work
hundred.
B
Percent
agree,
I.
Think
one
of
the
benefits
of
this
great
global
pause
is.
It
allows
people
to
take
a
personal
health
check
on
how
tightly
they've
allowed
their
own
personal
identities
to
be
woven
into
the
actual
act
of
going
to
and
from
this
office
this
building.
How
much
have
you
allowed
this
building
to
define?
B
Who
you
are
because
the
truth
is
you're
more
than
that
you're
more
than
whatever
this
building
was
you're
more
than
that
that
9:00
to
5:00
commute
I
love
to
tell
this
story,
but
if
you
took
tally
marks
and
you
put
them
on
the
front
and
back
of
one
sheet
of
paper-
that's
all
you
would
get
before
you
ran
out
of
weekends
in
the
average
human
life
span.
That's
it.
B
So,
if
you're,
allowing
your
work
to
define
everything,
if
it's
always
the
first
priority
and
the
commute
owns
everything
you
essentially
have
one
sheet
of
weekend's
to
live,
for,
which
sounds
like
a
pretty
raw
deal
to
me.
So
it
doesn't
matter
if
you're,
an
individual
contributor,
a
team
leader,
an
executive,
a
founder,
we're
all
worth
more
than
that,
and
the
freedom
and
flexibility
that
comes
with
remote.
What
we've
seen
they
get
lab
is,
if
you
give
people
the
ability
to
live
their
lives
first
and
then
work
work
into
it.
B
B
A
win-win
you'd
mention
some
things
on
some
tips
and
tricks
for
individuals,
but
I'm
curious
what
your
view
on
how
much
of
that
is
dependent
on
the
company
being
supportive
of
the
company
creating
a
non-judgmental
culture
of
the
company,
creating
an
atmosphere
where
work
can
happen
asynchronously.
So
you
don't
have
to
be
always
on
synchronously.
Looking
at
SLAC
messages,
I
feel.
A
A
I'd
say
I,
agree
and
I
disagree.
I
think
it's
always
helpful
when
a
company
that
you
work
for
supports
an
initiative
when
did
that
be
a
business
initiative
or
a
cultural
initiative,
but
at
the
same
time
as
as
remote
employees,
there's
a
there's
a
significant
degree
of
things
that
we
can
do,
whether
that
well,
it's
typically
culturally
right.
So
let
me
give
you
an
example.
My
last
job,
no
one
talked
about
mental
health.
A
Ever
I
was
the
first
person
to
say
I'm,
taking
a
Mental,
Health
Day
or
was
the
first
person
to
put
in
my
slack
status
meditating
to
address
my
mental
health.
That
is
something
you
can
do
as
a
remote
employee.
That's
super
simple,
and
not
only
does
it
help
improve
your
culture,
it
gives
cover
to
everyone
who
also
wants
to
do
that.
Who
also
needs
to
do
that
at
the
same
time
like
I'm,
incredibly
lucky
to
work
for
sprinkler,
because
we
have
so
structural
things
that
we
do
to
help
us
so
give
you
some
examples.
A
Sprinkler
has
a
wellness
coat
and
I'm
sorry,
three
times
a
day
for
15
minutes,
9
a.m.
noon
and
9
p.m.
we
have
a
group
meditation.
So
we
hop
on
the
line.
It's
a
guided
meditation,
that's
incredibly
helpful.
During
lunch
at
12:30
and
5:30,
we
have
coaches
who
do
virtual
workouts
with
us
together
and
while
that
is
great,
that
sprinkler
does.
That
and
I
feel
incredibly
supported.
If
you're
listening
to
this-
and
you
think
man
like
I
wish
I
had
that
bro.
Can
you
send
a
calendar?
Invite?
A
B
Such
a
great
point,
in
the
absence
of
leadership,
lead
and
I,
found
that
a
lot
of
talent
leaders
right
now
want
their
employees
to
be
the
change,
because
there's
so
much
going
on.
They
might
not
know
to
do
something
right
like
that,
and
it's
as
it
can
be
as
simple
as
sending
the
calendar
and
bike
we're
starting
the
slack
channel
or
just
being
the
impetus.
Because
to
your
point,
if
you're
thinking
about
it,
chances
are
high
that
other
people
are
looking
for
similar
opportunities
and.
B
A
little
bit
about
our
workspaces-
and
this
goes
hand-in-hand-
I-
was
sharing
out
there
that
I
recently
moved
the
location
of
my
office.
I
was
in
a
room
downstairs
like
right
in
the
front
door,
all
of
the
foot
traffic
was
was
going
to
and
fro
and
I
didn't
really
notice
that
it
was
negatively
affecting
me
until
I
moved
upstairs.
So
now,
I
have
to
physically
walk
up
a
set
of
stairs
to
be
in
work
and
then,
when
I
physically
walk
down
the
stairs.
B
There's
this
very
clear
mental
click
that
happens
that
hey
you
left
work
it's
up
there.
You
can
now
fully
engage
with
life
and
mentally
close.
The
tabs
in
the
web
browser
that
is
your
brain
and
I,
was
shocked
at
how
much
of
a
difference
it
made.
I've
worked
remotely
for
over
a
decade,
I
feel
like
I,
had
it
fairly
well
dialed
in,
but
it
goes
to
show
that
hey
even
14
years
later,
iteration
on
home
workspaces
and
just
kind
of
the
way
you
do
things
can
be
useful.
B
A
Sure
so,
first
of
all,
please
excuse
my
my
MacBook
Pro
clunky
camera
work,
but
you
know:
I
have
I,
have
a
very,
very
small
space.
Ie
I'm,
a
young
urban
professional
I,
live
in
a
very
small
loft,
just
like
you'd
imagine
someone
covered
in
tattoos
and
wearing
floral
shirts
would
so
you'll
see
you
know
so.
I
have
my
desk.
It's
a
it's
a
fairly
small
desk.
If
you're
looking
for
kind
of
like
a
remote
worker
pro
tip
for
your
desk,
this
is
a
coffee
warmer.
It
can
also
be
used
for
tea.
A
That
was
life
changing
when
I
got
my
coffee
warmer,
but
I
have
a
pretty
small
desk
you'll,
see
like
as
I
pan
around,
like
that's
the
rest
of
my
living
space.
That's
the
couch
that
I
used
to
chill
out
on
for
an
hour,
and
then
you
know,
what's
behind
me
is
my
kitchen,
and
so
you
know
Darrin.
You
have
your
stairs.
Unfortunately,
I
mean
they
do
have
a
flight
of
stairs
up
to
my
to
my
bedroom.
A
But
in
terms
of
like
this
is
the
space,
if
I'm
not
in
bed,
I
cook,
here
I,
relax
here
and
I
work
here,
and
so
you
were
talking
about
your
stairs.
You
know
I
had
one
day,
I
think
it
was
two
weeks
ago.
Maybe
the
week,
the
week
before,
where
I
just
had
a
stressful
day
right
I
had
a
stressful
day,
I
went
on
a
run
outside
to
differentiate,
I
came
back
and
I'm
just
like
it
still
wasn't
enough
to
separate
it
wasn't,
and
so
what
I
want
to
encourage
everyone?
A
A
lot
of
people
might
be
thinking
like
dude
I
work
in
my
work
in
my
kitchen
counter
and
working
on
the
couch
like
I'm
just
making
a
deal
with
whatever
space
I
have
because
they
don't
have
a
dedicated
space.
That's
fine,
but
sometimes
you
have
to
get
creative.
So
my
creativity,
because
I
don't
have
another
space
to
hang
out
in
I.
Put
a
towel
over.
My
desk
I
put
a
towel
over
the
monitor
because,
even
though
I
shut,
my
computer
and
I
put
it
in
my
backpack,
so
I
can't
see
it.
A
You
can
I'm
just
gonna.
Take
it
out
of
the
backpack
backpack
tomorrow,
I
still
put
it
away,
so
I
don't
look
at
it.
Even
just
like
the
computer
monitor
the
keyboard
and
the
chair,
it
was
too
much.
It's
just
still
wasn't
enough
to
separate.
So
sometimes
you
you
just
have
to
get
creative,
and
sometimes
you
just
have
to
put
a
towel
on
your
desk.
Even
if
your
boyfriend
comes
over
and
looks
at
you
like
you've
finally
snapped
I.
B
A
B
A
B
A
Sure
thing:
if
you're,
if
you're
a
LinkedIn
user,
you
can
just
find
me
at
LinkedIn,
slash
Andrew
R
Keyser,
if
you're
a
Twitter
user,
you
can
follow
me
on
floral
Andy,
if
you're
so
inclined
but
I'm
around.
If
you
have
questions
around
remote
work,
I'm
really
passionate
about
this
I'm,
really
passionate
about
documenting
my
journey
because,
like
I
said
it's
it's
a
skill
that
has
to
be
learned.
I,
love.
B
That
I
love
your
full
shirt
as
well.
I
was
this
close
to
wearing
my
Aloha
shirt
and
I.
Didn't
do
it,
but
but
I
should
have
like
any
day
express
the
Aloha
spirit.
You
should
yeah
the
audience.
Thank
you.
So
much
for
joining
us
be
sure
to
follow
us
on
twitter
and
linkedin
and
tweet
us
questions
at
gitlab.