This month, Aaron and Ashley gave us a run down of the benefits and challenges of working remote as a couple. Read on for useful tips about how to manage your work and relationships.
Q: Who are you and what do you do?
Hi! I’m Aaron Sachs. I’m a Customer Reliability Engineer at Sensu, Inc. In non-tech speak, I write documentation, assist our customers with deploying our software, do on-site and web-based training, and also do front lines support. Sensu is a Portland, Oregon-based startup that makes an IT infrastructure and application monitoring software
Hi! I’m Ashley Sachs, I lead a support team for a Norwegian based start-up, appear.in. We are a browser based video tool focused on making video meetings easy for remote teams. When I started my role I was tasked with building the support structure from appear.in from the scratch. Now I have some awesome remote teammates where we focus on not only helping users when they have problems, but also advocating for changes in the product based on our daily conversations with customers.
Q: Give a brief background on what brought you to Chattanooga
Ashley: Originally from Knoxville, we left Tennessee five years ago to move to San Antonio for a job for Aaron. Despite all the fun and growth we experienced in Texas, a piece of our hearts always stayed in Tennessee. After having our daughter and both having remote jobs, we realized that longing for seasons, mountains, family, and biscuits wasn’t going away anytime soon.
Q: What is your favorite part about working remote with your spouse?
Aaron: I love that we’re still able to bounce things off of each other when we run into issues. I bounce people issues off of Ashley, and she bounces tech issues off of me. She’s really fantastic in understanding how other people think and her empathy is off the charts. Computer nerds like me need people like her, for sure!
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Ashley: Aaron and I have actually worked together either in the same company, or in close proximity to each other since we first met. So we are kind of uses to being together at this point. :) My background is not in the tech industry, I just kind of stumbled into it when we moved to Texas. Since then, I have entered roles that have really challenged and stretched me. Aaron’s been my biggest cheerleader through that and continues to do so while we work remotely. I would say I am not sure if I would have the confidence I have in my remote role without his perspective in working in the same atmosphere
Q: What was an unexpected challenge for you?
Aaron: How loud we both tend to be on our earphone! No, seriously. I don’t think either of us ever realized how loud we were when doing conference calls. Most folks assume that the challenge is being together all day. Honestly though, we had to learn how to not shout over each other’s calls.
Ashley: Probably the same thing most remote workers struggle with even when they aren’t working with their spouse: Boundaries. Your work is in your backpack so it is super easy to let that creep into other spaces of your life. I think when both of you work remotely it’s easy to be less sensitive to “working at home” or “doing this one quick thing after dinner” than it would be if your spouse worked at an office.
Q: What advice would you give to other married couples thinking about working remote?
Aaron: Community is HUGE. HUUUUUUGE!!! You need places and spaces where you can invest into other people and have them invest into you. Also, take some “you” time regularly. Both of us working remotely is amazing, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. But we both realize that when we’re around each other 24/7 we can get in these weird feedback loops, so taking time to break out of the loops is super important.
Ashley: Share your calendars especially when you first start. It makes things way easier when it comes to planning childcare pickups, lunches, and working spaces. Also, a family Slack channel is super helpful as well, if it’s a mode of communication that already fits your workflow, and you don’t have to fool with texting. :)
Q: How has (or will) Society of Work help you in your work lifestyle?
Aaron: I’m really looking forward to the community that I hope to develop at SOW and at the Edney. There’s a ton happening at the space and being able to partake and break out of tech, even if it’s just for lunch, walking over to Wanderlinger, or snagging some joe from Goodman with some other SOW folks is something that I’m looking forward to.
Ashley: Community is incredibly important to Aaron and I. When you move to a new city and work remotely you don’t have a “built-in community” like you do in an office setting. I’m really looking forward to meeting the people at SOW and learning about their talents, passions, and all the fun things that happen when you share a space. :)
