
The role of a Head of Remote is a relatively new one, at least in terms of its familiarity, acceptance, and importance. In this Accomplished Peeps interview, Rhys Black, Head of Remote at Oyster HR shares some insight into his role, what his day-to-day looks like, and the tools and practices he uses to successfully lead remotely.
Rhys' team is one of roughly 10 teams in the world who are currently writing the rule book on what a Head of Remote’s team does. He commented that what they're experiencing putting this together is somewhat similar to the genesis of the Product Management function approximately 15 years ago. Defining which areas of responsibility a head of remote's team covers and where they can add the most value is an ever-evolving thing.
My role as Head of Remote at Oyster is essentially to fulfill our commitment of one day becoming the best distributed company in the world. My role is very cross-functional tying Operations, People, and Marketing together to deal with the many effects remote work has on the Operations and People of our company. There is no such thing as a typical day in my role. However, my role is becoming increasingly external as I build my team to execute internally, allowing me to work with our Marketing team to relay our work to our customers and to serve as a source of inspiration and knowledge for them.
Fully standing desk, Herman Millar Embody chair, 27in monitor with an MBP dock, Rode Videomic NTG on an arm, Logitech Brio, Lume Cube light, iPad Pro used as a 2nd screen for my calendar and to-do list in Things 3
Generally minimalist with white and black items
I have a pretty ingrained morning routine that I check off in Things every day
The morning route is non-negotiable as if I don’t take some time for myself in the morning, it really affects my mental clarity and ability to focus late.
Going for an evening cycle lets me blast out a lot of energy that has pent up from the day and also forces me into the present, or else I’ll hit a tree :)
Youtube is my university. I’ve gotten quite into geopolitics lately. Some good channels include Masaman, Caspian Report, Johnny Harris, and Cold Fusion. The Secular Buddhism podcast by Noah Rasheta is good too.
Probably working on increasing financial literacy amongst under-served people groups. It changed my life and I’d like to pass on what I’ve learned to others.
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If you're interested in learning more about Oyster HR, check them out - https://www.oysterhr.com/, or connect with them on LinkedIn.