Difference Between Remote

And Distributed Teams

Pros & Cons

At first glance, remote and distributed teams may appear synonymous. And while they share some important pros and cons over traditional office 9-5 work, it’s important to understand the difference.

What are the definitions of distributed and remote?

In distributed teams people work from different geographic locations without a physical office anywhere. Remote teams generally work from home too, but have a central or regional facility where one or more employees can go into the office to work on a full-time or part-time basis.

Pros of Distributed Teams For Employees

You are not tied to any geographic location and can work from anywhere. This is particularly attractive for digital nomads, who move from one location to another several times a year.
No need to go to office. Never! which is perfect for some people. For those who do enjoy office atmosphere from time-to-time – there are plenty of co-working spaces across the globe.
You have a larger choice of companies to work for as you are not limited by geography. Plus, even if you relocate, you can keep your job and don’t have to look for a different one.
You never have to worry about the company rules changing, making everyone go hybrid or return to office full-time.

Cons of Distributed Teams Include

To become truly effective in a distributed team, you will need to work on self-responsibility, ability to manage your own time and tasks. There is noone behind your shoulder telling you what to do. Of course, distributed teams also have managers and control mechanisms, but personal responsibility is crucial and you’ll need to work on it.
Feelings of team spirit and company culture are not strong as you rarely (if at all) meet offline with your team. If you love having small talk with colleagues and the social part at work, distributed team may make you feel isolated and lonely.
Your team members may be working in different time zones, making it difficult to find a convenient time for all to meet online. And if you travel to another part of the world, you may have to work sometimes very early in the morning or late at night.
You will need to spend time figuring out taxes, insurances and other similar problems which occur when you are not working from one country.

Cons of Distributed Teams Include

Remote teams actually offer more flexibility than distributed because you can choose from several options (full-time, hybrid, fully remote) depending on your preferences.
Communication and collaboration with colleagues is easier when you can meet at least once a week in one room face-to-face.
There are less isolation and work-life balance issues. Gossiping by the water cooler, Christmas parties and small talk – if you love all of that then remote will bring you more joy and satisfaction.
Simply put, remote work offers you a way to enjoy both: working from home and the stability of a permanent office workplace.

Cons of Remote largely stem from benefits of distributed in reverse

You never know if your management is going to decide to have everyone ‘return to office’, which is often happening now.
You can only work in your location, making it harder to find a job and limiting the choice of companies.
While you don’t have to commute to office every day, you are still tied to one geographic location and can’t just buy tickets to Paris or Thailand for next week.

Trying to choice between remote and distributed, however, there is no right or wrong. You will need to determine importance of these questions for yourself in order to find the best option:

Are you available to commute to office at least a couple of days a week?
How important is face-to-face communication with colleagues for you?
Are you impacted by isolation of working alone all the time?
Do you live in one location or have a nomadic lifestyle?

So, depending on your answers, distributed or remote work may be a better choice for you.

To summarise, we wanted to add that having 9 years of experience with a distributed team at Etcetera, we can say that it definitely is a great option! Yes, it only works if you have the right team of responsible and talented people, but it makes it even more amazing knowing that you are a part of such team!