The remote work handbook on About Balean

Guide to effectively work remotely

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Since we are a young and dynamic team, we also still need to learn. But why not take the lessons from the established? Many of our remote policy is based on GitLab’s All Remote handbook. This is an iterative process where learn and make changes as necessary.

Important in an all-remote, asynchronous organisation is to have all information available online. Our single source of truth is our online handbook which holds information on how we work and decisions we make. Everyone is allowed and encouraged to make changes to the handbook.

Hear from Dana

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

My Remote Journey: Connecting Across Borders

1. Why did you decide to pick a remote assignment in the first place?

My remote journey actually started long before the rest of the world caught on. Way back in 2012, while working at HP, we were offered a hybrid schedule: two days at home, three in the office. I jumped at the chance. For me, it was a breath of fresh air. It gave me the opportunity to spend more time with my dog, cook healthy meals at home, and take actual, quiet breaks away from the constant buzz of office chatter. It was a huge, incredibly positive shift in my life.

Hear from one of our students

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

For the past 20 weeks, I worked remotely on a project for The Balean Foundation. One of the reasons I chose a remote assignment is because it gives you the opportunity to connect and collaborate with people from different places, which I think is really special. It also gives you a lot of freedom in how and where you work.

Especially in a creative project, I really liked that flexibility. Creativity does not always happen at one fixed time or place, so it helped me to be able to switch between working from home, libraries, cafés or school. A big plus was that I could easily plan interviews and feedback sessions with different people because location wasn’t a barrier.

Hear from Sander

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

I am Sander Brienen, founder of Balean foundation. I live near Nijmegen with my wive, 2 children and a dog. In the passed I worked for GitLab where I experience remote work from the organization who kind of invented it.

During the COVID pandemic, I noticed that I enjoyed remote work a lot and was reluctant going back to the office every day. My remote working days were quite efficient with meetings happening online. Apart from that, I also had the time to go for a walk with the dog during lunch break rather than having to order dog services for that and I had the time to welcome my children from school every day.