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From YouTube: The importance of finding community when working remotely and how cities are benefitting
Description
Darren (GitLab) and Aaron (Tulsa Remote) discuss the importance of finding community as a remote worker.
Tulsa Remote is welcoming remote workers to a city that's focused on providing opportunity for people to engage and connect. This is especially useful for workers who have moved from a colocated role into a remote role, but struggle with finding community now that they are no longer tied to the city where their prior job required them to relocate to.
While all-remote allows people to live and work where they are most fulfilled, programs like Tulsa Remote provide built-in structure and community that may be alluring to those battling isolation and/or desiring to move to a lower cost-of-living locale compared to urban centers such as San Francisco, Seattle, and New York City.
###
Learn more about Tulsa Remote: https://tulsaremote.com/
Other topics discussed:
Working while traveling: https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/working-while-traveling/
People: adopting a remote lifestyle: https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/people/
Getting started in a remote role: https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/getting-started/
Informal Communication: https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/informal-communication/
In-person interactions: https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/in-person/
All-remote benefits: https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/benefits/
###
Learn more about GitLab's all-remote culture and processes: https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/
Submit your own questions for a Pick Your Brain with GitLab: https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/pick-your-brain/
A
Cool
so
I'm
Darren
with
gitlab
and
I'm
talking
with
Aaron
at
Tulsa
remote,
so
we
were
connected
by
a
mutual
friend
and
an
advocate
in
remote
work.
So
this
is
our
first
conversation
together
and
I
just
wanted
to
ask
Aaron
about
Tulsa
remote,
how
he
came
into
it.
What
remote
works
mean
means
to
him
and
then,
if
he
has
any
questions
for
me
from
there,
it's.
B
Awesome
well
thanks
for
taking
some
time
to
talk
with
me
so
yeah
my
name's
Aaron
bells
Lee
I'm,
the
executive
director
of
Tulsa
remote,
which
is
initiative
George
Kaiser,
Family
Foundation,
which
is
a
nearly
4
billion
dollar
foundation,
based
here
in
Tulsa
Oklahoma.
Its
mission
is
to
ensure
that
Tulsa
is
the
best
place
for
a
child
to
be
born
and
grow
and
succeed.
B
Tulsa
remote
adds
to
that
mission
by
helping
create
the
most
vibrant
community
possible
for
people
who
live
here
in
Tulsa,
so
we
launched
Tulsa
remote
last
November,
so
November
2018,
it
was
gonna,
be
just
a
little
experiment.
We're
gonna
invite
20
or
25
remote
workers
to
come
and
live
in
Tulsa
for
a
year
in
exchange
for
ten
thousand
dollars
paid
throughout
the
year,
co-working
space
at
a
local
co-working
place
that
we
have
here
and
then
community
development
opportunities,
but
we
ended
up
going
viral
over
2.5
billion.
B
In
Reach
we
had
over
10,000
people
apply
in
less
than
10
weeks,
I
actually
closed
down
the
application
process,
and
we
were
still
getting
about
125
applicants
a
day.
It
was
insane
because
we
had
to
go
through
the
applications
to
pick
our
people.
We
expanded
the
program
to
bring
in
a
hundred
people
the
first
year
in
total.
Up
to
this
point,
we've
had
115
people,
including
partners,
moved
to
Tulsa
through
Tulsa
remote,
and
then
we
just
launched
our
second
year
and
on
October
29th
and
we're
bringing
in
250
people
this
year.
B
A
Incredible
I'm
curious
was
it
define
Angelyn
that
created
all
of
the
applications,
or
was
it
a
desire
to
get
away
from
the
frenetic
pace
of
an
urban
environment
or
something
I'm
not
mentioning?
Some
combination
I'm
just
curious
what
the
feedback
was
on,
why
people
were
drawn
to
apply
in
the
first
place,
yeah.
B
That's
a
great
question:
I,
don't
think
anybody
at
least
the
successful
individuals
that
we
brought
in
and
the
successful
individuals
that
everybody's
trying
to
attract
I.
Don't
think
anybody
moved
for
$10,000,
it's
taxable
income
and
there's
a
cost
associated
to
moving.
So
let's
say
that
in
the
end
you
end
up
with
$4,000
extra.
B
That
you
don't
want
to
be
in
for
that,
but
it
removes
risk
right
and
it
helps
it
helps
with
some
of
the
barriers.
So
the
overarching
the
over
by
far
the
the
the
biggest
reason
why
people
applied
and
ultimately
moved
was
the
community
development
opportunities
right.
So
I
think
you
know
my
background.
B
B
B
A
Fascinating,
even
in
get
lab,
we
actually
have
a
pretty
high
concentration
of
people
in
the
Bay
Area
that,
because
we're
all
remote
technically
don't
still
need
to
be
there,
but
a
lot
of
them
came
to
us
from
a
company
where
they
were
located
there.
Mm-Hmm
they've
just
hung
around
like
they
enjoy
the
fact
that
they
don't
have
a
commute
anymore
right.
Sure
some
of
them
actually
love
being
there
like
it's
home
for
them.
A
Now
they
don't,
they
don't
want
to
move,
but
it
is
one
of
those
things
it's
like
how
many
of
them
want
to
move,
maybe
back
to
whatever
is
home
to
them
or
a
more
rural
place,
lower
cost
of
living.
That
kind
of
thing,
but
just
don't
because
of
the
friction.
It's
like
it's
hard
to
find
time
to
even
think
about
it.
That's
yeah.
B
I
moved
a
lot
of
different
times
right
and
the
obstacle
is
the
biggest
obstacle
was
always
just
getting
back
connected
and
feeling
like
I,
had
a
sense
of
community
and
belonging
to
something,
and
even
for
me,
when
I
moved
back
to
Tulsa,
so
I
came
back
to
Tulsa
without
a
plan
you
know,
I
was
lucky:
I
worked
for
Apple
him.
You
know
before
there
was
an
app
store
after
we
launched
Apple
music,
so
I
had
a
little
bit
of
a
safety
net.
B
I
could
I
could
move
and
not
have
a
gig
and
kind
of
figure
it
out
and
I
was
doing
some
consulting,
but
most
of
my
time
went
to
building
my
community
and
luckily
in
Tulsa
it
was
a
lot
easier
than
it
was
in
other
places,
but
there
are
still
obstacles
that
came
with
that.
You
know
not.
You
know,
you're
saying,
like
you
have
plenty
of
people
who
live
in
the
Bay
Area
who
don't
have
to
anymore
I
love,
San
Francisco
I
mean
I
loved
living
there.
B
For
me,
though,
there
was
something
more
that
I
wanted
to
do
with
my
time
like
I
wanted.
I
had
always
talked
about
how
am
I
gonna
volunteer
or
get
involved
in
things
that
matter
to
me,
and
it
was
really
difficult
to
do
that
in
the
city.
Right,
like
my
background,
is
in
music,
how
do
I
get
involved
in
the
music
scene
in
San
Francisco,
if
I'm
not
doing
it
full-time?
B
Obviously,
iTunes
helped
me,
but
if
how
do
I
go
and
work
it?
You
know
how
do
I
get
on
the
board
of
the
symphony
or
like
how
do
I
get
involved
in
some
initiative?
That
really
matters
to
me.
The
barriers,
even
for
volunteering,
are
pretty
high
yeah.
You
know
the
I
just
think
that
there
are
a
list
of
cities
that
everybody
looks
to
as
secondary
options
from
one
of
those
major
cities,
and
there
are
legitimate,
let's
say,
oversaturation-
of
people
who
are
moving
there,
and
so
it
benefits
everybody.
A
Do
you
think
I
completely
agree
with
that?
Do
you
think
the
barriers
are
fewer
volunteering
connecting
with
communities
so
on
and
so
forth
in
Tulsa?
Is
that
why
people
move
there
because
I'll
give
you
the
perspective
from
from,
although
we
generate
will
hire
people
from
almost
anywhere
in
the
globe
and
one
of
the
key
reasons
why
people
want
to
do
that?
Is
it
allows
them
to
stay
in
that
community
wherever
it
may
be?
A
It
matters
the
most
to
them
so
they're
able
to
like
help
with
Habitat
for
Humanity
in
a
community
that
they
live
in,
that
they
can
ultimately
see
it.
This
is
a
slightly
different
situation
where
you're
you
want
people
to
move
from
one
place
to
a
specific
new
place,
and
so
what's
the
draw,
there
is
Tulsa
just
more
amenable
to
that.
I
am.
B
Obviously
biased
but
I
think
the
answer
is
yes:
I
mean
you,
you
have
to
come
visit
Tulsa
to
see
what's
actually
happening
here.
It's
it's
just
a
weird,
perfect
timing
scenario
where
you've
got
a
city
of
about
400,000
a
little
bit
over
400,000
a
metro
area
of
around
a
million
and
you've
got
huge
foundations
that
are
actively
working
on
some
pretty
big
initiatives.
B
A
B
Are
for
sure
I
mean
it's
a
requirement
that
the
people
who
come
through
the
program
are
employed
with
companies
based
out
of
outside
of
Tulsa
County,
so
they
all
do
I
mean
some
people
have
actually
found
jobs
in
Tulsa
since
they
moved
here
and
that's
awesome.
Right,
I
mean
amazing
talent.
Finding
jobs
locally
is
is
a
great
thing,
but
the
vast
majority
of
the
people
are
employed
with
companies
outside
I.
Think.
B
A
Next
thought
is:
let's
build
a
building,
build
some
offices
in
it
and
then
convince
businesses
or
people
to
come
occupy
those
buildings.
But
the
shortcut
to
that
is
don't
build
any
buildings.
We
don't
need
to
add
any
new
infrastructure
like
that.
We
just
give
people
a
compelling
reason
to
come
here
and
a
community
to
rally
around
and
they
can
work
from
wherever
so
you'd
like
you
shortcut
all
of
that
and
I'm
just
curious,
like
have
you
seen
other
towns
trying
to
replicate
this?
B
B
Hq2
is
a
perfect
example
of
it,
and
so
yeah
I
think
that
I
think
that
going
after
the
talented
individuals
and
trying
to
create
an
ecosystem
that
not
only
supports
remote
work
but
celebrates
remote
workers
is,
is
I,
mean
I'm,
obviously,
betting
on
that
being
the
way
of
the
future
and
will
give
us
a
leg
up
in
Tulsa
has
done
a
lot
to
to
to
embrace
the
that.
We've
done.
I
think
that
other
cities
should
definitely
do
something
similar
I,
don't
know
if
they
can
compete
with
Tulsa.
B
For
me,
you
know,
obviously
you
can
tell
what
I
care
about
for
me
to
be
involved
in,
because
those
are
conversations
that
really
matter
to
me
and
I'm,
happy
and
proud
that
they're
happening
here
in
Tulsa,
so
but
I,
but
I
get
communities
reaching
out
to
me
regularly
wanting
to
talk
about
how
to
attract
these
people
because
I
mean
we
we've
gotten.
So
many
amazing
individuals
who
apply
for
the
program
that
it's
obviously
something
that
people
want.
People
want
to
belong
to
something
and
be
engaged
in
their
community.
I.
Think.
A
A
Incredible
is
this
one
thing
to
say:
well,
we'll
make
them
have
to
physically
be
here
that
you
kind
of
get
away
with
a
lot
of
other
stuff,
but
this
kind
of
flips
that
on
its
head,
where
you
need
to
build
the
community.
So
even
though
they're
free
to
leave
they
don't
they
stay
there
I'll
say
it
get
lab.
We've
scaled
to
the
point
now
where
there
are
some
subsections
of
the
world.
Bay
Area
is
a
good
example.
Raleigh
Durham
North
Carolina
is
a
good
example.
A
Pacific
Northwest
we
have
location
channels
and
sort
of
sub
communities
within
get
lab
where
we've
hired
enough
people
in
a
certain
region
that
they
kind
of
self
congregate
and
they
have
their
own
little
get
together
as
meet
up
things
like
that.
But
one
thing
that
we
we
hear
about
often
is
the
Battle
of
isolation.
So,
if
you're,
all,
if
you're
the
only
person
in
one
specific
spot
and
it's
a
rural
place,
chances
are
low,
that
you're
gonna
really
build
a
huge
community
there.
B
Absolutely
yeah,
no,
that's
that's!
That
is
definitely
a
huge
component
of
this
whole
program
is
that
there
is
an
economic
benefit
to
cities
that
provide
a
sense
of
belonging
and
resolve
the
issues
with
isolation
and
I.
Think
Tulsa
has
done
a
really
good
job
with
Tulsa,
remote
and
other
programs
of
helping
resolve
those
issues,
so
I
would
love
it
if,
in
the
future,
there's
enough
presence
of
people
that
get
lab
in
Tulsa
that
they
have
their
own
community.
B
But
let's
say
that
there's
only
one
or
two
people
here
the
fact
that
they
can
jump
into
something
like
pulse
remote
and
have
a
sense
of
community.
That's
that's
completely
separate
from
their
company,
but
are
surrounded
by
people
who
understand
the
challenges
that
come
with
the
type
of
work.
They
do.
That's
that's
amazing.
You
know
we.
We
really
try
to
bring
in
really
strong
people
and
then
that
let
them
develop
the
culture.
It's
not
something
like
we're
sitting
here,
telling
them
how
to
do
things
and
something
that
was
really
rewarding
to
me.
B
B
So
for
the
first
month
that
they
were
here
every
single
day,
they
had
somebody
bringing
food
to
them
to
ensure
that
they
were
like
taken
care
of
in
the
community
and
that's
a
huge,
that's,
a
huge
lift,
but
that's
pretty
easy
when
you
consider
that
everybody
just
had
to
do
it
once,
but
people
rallied
around
there
there
is.
There
is
no
question
that
people
want
to
help
each
other
and
want
to
belong
to
something
and
as
that
becomes
less
possible
with
with
with
companies
if
they're
remote-
and
you
don't
have
that
sense
of
community
locally.
B
A
I'm
biased
towards
remote
as
well,
but
what
I
hear,
and
that
is
I've
noticed
this
kind
of
nuance
in
remote
workers,
where
they
can
be
isolated
in
working
alone,
so
when
they
get
the
opportunity
to
rally
around
something
like
that,
they
they
go
full-bore
where
people
that
have
to
commute
into
a
co-located
space
every
single
day.
There's
this
weird
thing
that
happens
where
you
sort
of
take
the
faces
you
see
every
day
for
granted.
A
You
just
see
them
every
day,
it's
less
of
a
special
type
of
situation,
where
everyone
working,
even
if
you're
in
a
co-working
space,
and
everyone
knows
that
they're
working
remotely
they're
empathetic
to
the
fact
that
all
of
the
people
that
each
individual
is
working
with
is
not
where
they
are
so
whatever
opportunity
they
do
have
to
help
people
in
person
IRL,
they
rally
around
it.
I
mean
that's
just
generally
speaking,
I'm
sure
there
are
exceptions
to
that,
but
that
that
resonates
of
the
gitlab
side.
A
B
That's
beautiful,
I
think
you're
you're
totally
right,
there's
a
lot
of
misconceptions,
especially
when
we
came
down
this
path
when
I
deal
with
certain
leaders
in
the
community.
Who
would
question
like
what
we're
doing
with
this
whole
remote
thing,
there's
misconceptions
that
that
that
people
who
work
remotely
or
work
from
home
are
not
very
social,
they're,
introverted
or
they're,
not
really
great
communicators,
it's
actually
the
opposite.
I
found.
B
First
of
all,
remote
workers
are
some
of
the
best
communicators
I've
ever
known
they
have
to
because
back
in
the
day,
it
used
to
be
that
if
I
had
to
do
more
than
two
emails
to
resolve
an
issue,
I'd
walk
over
to
that
person's
desk
yeah
actually
interact
with
them
in
person
because
it
wasn't
working
right,
but
you
don't
get
that
option
when
you're
working
remotely.
So
you
have
to
be
so
strong
at
communication
and
I
think
that
you
are
exactly
right
in
real
life.
B
People
are
much
more
intentional
about
the
social
in
person
interactions
because
I
think
they
just
value
it
so
much
more,
instead
of
being
oversaturated
with
it
during
the
day
and
a
kind
of
an
enforced
environment.
So
we
see
we
see
within
the
cohort
that
came
in
the
first
year
of
tulsa
remote
and
I'm
sure
we'll
see
it
this
next
year
that
there's
an
amazing
support
system
and
people
are
including
others
in
ensuring
that
everybody
is
included
in
the
activities
that
are
happening.
And
I
don't
think
you
see
that
in
normal
office
environments.
B
A
B
I
think
that's
so
right
and
with
this
program,
we've
removed
even
more
barriers
that
come
with
transition
and
new
community,
and
so
these
people
are
using
those
energies
into
the
things
that
matter
to
them.
So
they're
volunteering
they're
getting
involved
in
issues
and
what
else
is
really
cool
is
that
these
individuals
work
for
companies
that
aren't
based
here
so
they're
not
worried
about
what
their
employer
thinks
about
the
the
things
that
they're
doing
and
taking
a
stand
on
locally,
which
lets
them
be
a
lot
more
vocal
I'm
really
excited
to
see
how
fast
Tulsa
grows.
B
Because
of
this
small
group
of
individuals
that
have
come,
I
mean
it's
not
going
to
be
small
after
next
year.
It's
a
big
group
of
really
cool
people
from
all
over
the
world
that
are
kind
of
coming
into
Tulsa,
but
the
power
that
they
have
is
pretty
unbelievable.
And
so
you
know
I
don't
expect
everybody
to
want
to
leave
the
Bay
Area
and
move
to
Tulsa
Oklahoma.
But
I
do
think
that
there
is
a
group
of
individuals
that
are
looking
for
a
different
type
of
lifestyle
where
they
get
to
have
the
urban
lifestyle.
B
A
B
A
To
be
something
much
deeper,
it's
like
the
actual
economic
boom
is
going
to
be
happening
without
the
buildings
it's
gonna,
be
at
the
people
and
the
intelligence
and
the
community
that's
being
built
as
more
and
more
remote
workers
center
around
a
given
a
given
town.
That's
just
it's
fascinating
that
just
kind
of
hit
me
when
you
said
that
it's
like
the
vision
of
what
a
thriving
community
looks
like
isn't
going
to
be
tied
to
the
skyline
anymore.
It's.
B
Absolutely
I
think
it's
brilliant
and
and
and
ensuring
that
we
talk
a
lot
about
ensuring
that
continued
growth
and
success
in
cities
are
inclusive
of
all
and
I.
Think
remote
work
has
the
potential
to
truly
be
that
inclusive
piece
to
ensure
that
every
individual
with
disabilities,
with
with
different
needs,
has
an
opportunity
to
be
an
incredibly
valued
member
of
a
team
and
an
additive
part
of
the
economy.
I
love.
A
B
Mean
this,
the
the
coolest
thing
about
this
program
is
that
the
the
cohort
that
we
brought
in
is
so
passionate
about
what
we're
doing
there
they're
involved
in
every
aspect
of
bringing
in
this
next
group
and
I.
Think
that's
really
cool
to
me
and
I
think
that
Tulsa
remote
is
going
to
grow
into
more
than
just
the
$10,000
to
move
to
Tulsa.
It's
about
really
developing
that
ecosystem
in
Tulsa.
That,
as
I
said,
celebrates
remote
workers
and
helps
resolve
typical
issues.
B
I've
been
thinking
about
things
like
co-working
spaces,
right
people
like
co-working
spaces,
but
they're
not
made
for
remote
workers
a
lot
of
times,
they're
made
for
a
different
type
of
worker,
and
how
can
we
create
spaces
that
are
better
for
remote
workers,
but,
more
than
anything,
how
can
Tulsa
really
welcome
in
all
the
ancillary,
remote
workers
that
are
choosing
to
move
here?
Even
when
they're,
not
part
of
the
program,
how
can
tell
us
remote
be
bigger
and.
A
A
A
B
I'm
on
social
media,
Instagram
Aaron
bells
Li,
bol
zle,
but
you
you
all-
can
reach
out
at
info
at
tulsa
remote
com,
I
check
that
email
account
regularly,
but
Tulsa
remote
comm
has
the
application
and
we've
gotten
a
huge
response,
but
we're
also
going
to
bring
in
a
lot
more
people
and
I.
Try
my
best
to
make
space
for
really
great
people
who
want
to
be
part
of
this,
and
you
know
I
hope
that
anybody
is
interested
reaches
out.
That's.