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We work remotely in our law firm. We only go into an office when necessary.

That means we’ve got people working all over the place—including me. Over the past few weeks, I’ve worked from Kiev, Istanbul, and Sofia. It’s stimulating to explore new cities when I head out for lunch or dinner and have free time on the weekends.

The idea of working remotely, whether from Kiev or the corner Starbucks, is exciting to many of us. It gets us out of our routine. However, it’s not without its downsides, one of which reared its ugly head this week in Istanbul.

One Way Office Space Trumps Working Remotely

I’m here with three work associates. We decided to share an apartment, and we’ve been hanging out during the day and working in the afternoon and evening (on US East Coast time).

Much of our time together has been spent in the living room near the Wi-Fi router. In these tight quarters, I’ve had a chance to overhear quite a few phone conversations.

Listening to our associates talk on the phone is something I used to do daily back when we were in an office space. We used a bullpen layout, and I could overhear many conversations each day, regardless of whether I wanted to.

As I listened, I’d hear things that gave me ideas for coaching the associates. They’d say something to a client or opposing counsel, and I knew it could have been said differently with better results. After they disconnected, I’d jump right in and give them feedback. They learned quickly in that environment.

Moments ago, here in Istanbul, I heard one of our associates say “to be honest with you” to a client. That phrase drives me crazy, and I don’t think it’s well received. It makes people wonder whether you were being completely honest with what you said before you shifted to the “honest” mode of conversation.

When he hung up, I encouraged him to strike that phrase from his vernacular. He agreed, and it’s gone. However, he has been using that phrase frequently without my having the opportunity to help him.

He’s been saying “to be honest with you” for years. He’s probably said it to 50 clients. Yuck.

Feedback vs. Autonomy

Being unable to observe attorneys in action is a major downside of working remotely.

It results in attorneys getting less feedback. The loss of feedback retards their growth. We’re not closely monitoring the day-to-day behavior of our attorneys and offering coaching.

Of course, working remotely comes with many offsetting benefits, like being able to hire and retain a better caliber of associate in the first place, but it’s not a perfect scenario. There are downsides, and the loss of data used to provide feedback is significant.

It would be great to sit with you in a Turkish coffee shop and share a cup of that hot sludgy beverage while we work. Be aware, however, that working from that shop comes with a cost, and the challenges don’t disappear simply because the office space is gone.