I work from home and am a big advocate of doing so.
One thing I find difficult in remote teams is the ability to ask a coworker a question quickly. There can be a fair amount of lag time over messenger and this occasionally blocks the completion of work.
I have been working from home for nearly 8 years now with a very small team (2-3 other people over the years max, mainly just with 1 other).
We have been using VSee to keep a constant video/audio feed going. We both have microphones which are muted, and if we need to ask a question we just press unmute and talk away.
For smaller teams that need to communicate a lot, I think something like this is the best setup because like you said, it's not a lag from a messenger.. having to make a new phone call etc if you just want to ask a simple question.
> One thing I find difficult in remote teams is the ability to ask a coworker a question quickly.
Why is it so important that your colleague HAVE to respond quickly? Have you ever considered that your colleague may need some time alone to finish her own task before she can answer your super important question? (sorry for the mood of my answer but it is so bad on purpose :) )
If I am stuck on something, and that something is in your realm, either for understanding or providing, then I might be stuck and unproductive until you answer.
e.g. I send you a message - I am trying to use 'xyzzy' which you provide. When I send it 'plover' I do not get back the response I need. Am I doing something wrong?
<crickets for 3 days>
WTF why can he not respond in a reasonable time frame? 1) on vacation, 2) sick in bed 3) over worked 4) a jerk 5) missed my email. In an office I can walk over and say WTF? Where I will easily find the new person who took his place, since he moved on to another job.
I am just reading your other comments and I am getting the impression that you don't want honest feedback but just confirmation that remote work is good.
One thing I find difficult in remote teams is the ability to ask a coworker a question quickly. There can be a fair amount of lag time over messenger and this occasionally blocks the completion of work.