🛡️ Build trust, keep autonomy 🗽

Building trust remotely transforms your workday from constant proof-of-productivity theater into the flexible lifestyle you deserve

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Ric Pratte, Shellie Sullivan, Maria Scarzella Thorpe & Peggy Kendall
June 12, 2025

In partnership with

Thrive Remotely is your weekly inspiration to leverage working remotely and live life to its fullest.

Tired of proving you're actually working?

We get it. Remote work shouldn't feel like a performance.

Here's the truth: Building real trust kills the productivity theater once and for all.

No more paranoid check-ins. No more guilty coffee breaks.

Just the remote freedom you actually deserve.

— Ric & Shellie

WORKING REMOTELY

Building Trust at a Distance

By Peggy Kendall

I joined a company that promised mentorship and growth, only to discover how quickly good intentions unravel without trust.

In a remote setting, trust isn’t just important—it’s everything.

Without in-person cues or casual conversations, assumptions quickly fill the void. Even well-meaning people can undermine confidence without consistency and follow-through. Clear, intentional communication and reliable connection points will help create the kind of workplace where we can all feel trusted and supported.

LAST WEEK’S POLL RESULTS

What's your biggest trust challenge working remotely?

“Remote work does not allow for the “hallway conversations”, coffee breaks, or in person lunches with colleagues or clients. Remote meetings start and end with the click of a mouse button. Any chatter happening before and after is heard by all. The permanence of instant messages, texts, and other remote forms of communication inhibit people from being fully open.” – Mark

THE CULTURE EDIT

Remote by Design

Your weekly invitation to shape the remote life that works for you.

The Trust Habit

Trust is what makes remote work and life truly flexible.

Without it, you’re stuck proving, checking, second-guessing. But when trust is mutual and lived, not just stated, it creates space for clarity, autonomy, and ease.

This week, tune into the small behaviors that build or break trust.

What are you modeling? What are you ready to shift?

And how do you show trust, without needing to say a word?

by Maria Scarzella Thorpe | Workplace Culture Strategist & Founder of Nomad Pass – Designing Retreats and Culture Experiences for remote and hybrid teams.

QUICK TAKES

Being On the Same Team

✅ Building Trust and Accountability in Remote Work Environments

✅ Solving the Trust Gap in Remote Work

✅ Building Trust in Remote Teams: 4 Actions Leaders Must Take

LEADING REMOTELY

Creating an Open-door Policy When There Are No Doors

By Peggy Kendall

Office doors are magical. One glance tells you if it’s safe to pop in or better to steer clear. But in a remote world? No doors, no clues. So, we assume the worst: “They’re probably too busy.”

That silence kills communication—and trust.

The good news? You can still “open your door” from a distance. Here’s how to make your virtual workspace feel a little more walk-in friendly.

This Week’s Partner

Learn AI in 5 minutes a day

This is the easiest way for a busy person wanting to learn AI in as little time as possible:

  1. Sign up for The Rundown AI newsletter

  2. They send you 5-minute email updates on the latest AI news and how to use it

  3. You learn how to become 2x more productive by leveraging AI

POLL – NEXT WEEKS TOPIC

Next week: Career Advancement. What's keeping you from climbing that career ladder? – We're here to help you ditch the visibility theater and master intentional growth!

What's your biggest remote career advancement challenge right now?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Your Calendar Needs This

Your laptop's getting lonely.

Remote workers are gathering everywhere from Vineyard vibes in North Carolina to cold plunges in New Hampshire. There's coworking with cocktails, birthday extravaganzas, and actual humans who get your WiFi struggles.

Stop talking to your houseplants. Join your people instead.

🗓️ Check out the Community Calendar!

Thrive in the Mountains: Our Epic Asheville Co-Working Retreat

July 16-20, 2025: Work, play, and connect in one of the South's most vibrant mountain towns. ⛰️

RESOURCES

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😎 Thriving Freelance: Gigs & Growth : Hundreds of job opportunities sent directly to your inbox each week, plus timely resources to support you as you grow and evolve. The Harlow newsletter is a treasure trove for freelancers, creators, and entrepreneurs.

New Partner!

HR is lonely. It doesn’t have to be.

The best HR advice comes from those in the trenches. That’s what this is: real-world HR insights delivered in a newsletter from Hebba Youssef, a Chief People Officer who’s been there. Practical, real strategies with a dash of humor. Because HR shouldn’t be thankless—and you shouldn’t be alone in it.

🌺 Find Joy in Your World Today

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