I stopped working at the office in 2014 and have been working remotely since then. So, that’s 11+ years of working-hours flexibility – and plenty of lessons about what actually works for me and what doesn’t.
During this time, I’ve worked with all kinds of people: some from home offices, some from rented spaces, some camped out in libraries or coffee shops. I tried most of those setups myself, because it’s hard to stay in one place forever. My hours shifted, theirs shifted, and the companies I worked for ranged from well-established to startups still figuring out what they even wanted to be.
And in every single case, communication was shaped by just two things – and never by the tools we used:
- people’s availability
- responsibility levels to deliver a message
Availability starts with responsibility, but it’s not just about that. A lot of people see flexibility as one of the biggest perks of remote work, so the hours they choose not to work are treated as sacred personal time.
And that’s absolutely fine with me, and I respect that.
But there is a catch.
You can be flexible in your working hours. But you can also be unpredictable. Or be predictable and flexible. Or even unpredictable and inflexible. And all of that affects availability.
After years of trial and error, I realized what matters most to me: predictability. When I work with someone, I want a rough map of their working hours. Not to the minute – just enough to know when I can expect a reply or reaction. If someone tells me, “Mondays 9 to 5, Tuesdays 11 to 3 and then 7 to 11,” – that’s perfect. As long as there’s some kind of pattern, I feel comfortable.
What I struggle with is the opposite: people randomly popping in and out, with no rhythm, no pattern, no reliability. When I can’t tell if someone’s around or not, I eventually stop relying on them altogether. That’s when frustration creeps in.
So for me, predictability always beats pure flexibility.
That’s why I always share my own availability upfront. If I expect it from others, I should hold myself to the same standard. It’s not about rigidity — it’s about respect.
Of course, life happens. Emergencies, family, last-minute stuff. That’s fine. But that’s where responsibility comes in – a quick heads-up goes a long way. Predictability isn’t about being chained to a clock. It’s about making it easier for others to rely on you.
And when everyone’s availability is clear, meetings actually start working the way they should – I shared some tips on that in this post.
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