Promoted to WFH manager role, it's complicated

Jan 171 min read

Got promoted last month to manage a small team, fully remote. On paper this is the best scenario - I'm home, I can be with my kids, no commute.

But it turns out managing people is harder to do from home. Meetings run long, back-to-backs are constant, I'm always "on". My kids hear me in meetings and assume I'm available. We don't have a dedicated office space so I'm working from the kitchen.

Pay jump is significant and the opportunity is great but I'm wondering if I should've stayed in the individual contributor role. This might be harder than going into an office actually.

Anyone managed a team from home with young kids? How'd you set boundaries?

5 comments573 views

Comments(5)

JJoe C.RegularJan 18

What's complicated about it? Sounds like you got the dream setup. Curious what the catch is because I'm trying to get into remote management myself.

SStevenRegularJan 19

Managing a remote team with kids at home is tough. I'm doing the same thing and my biggest win was telling my team straight up that I might have to jump off a call if my 4 year old has an emergency. Everyone respected that way more than trying to pretend I had a perfect setup.

PPete S.RegularJan 19

Congrats on the promotion! The WFH manager thing is a double edge sword though. I found myself working way more hours because the 'office' never closes. My advice: set hard boundaries on when you stop working or you'll end up answering Slack messages during bedtime stories.

JJake M.RegularJan 19

This is the best job scenario on paper but worst in practice IMO. You're always 'on' and always available. I started taking my laptop to the garage just to have a break from the house.

BBrettNew DadJan 20

The hardest part isn't the job itself, it's that your family thinks you're home so you should be available to help with stuff. My wife would get frustrated when I said I was in meetings all day even though I was literally down the hall.