Remote work is trendy now that Coronavirus has come to town, but no one can predict how long either will be staying. After all, we live in a society where nearly 34 million people have not a minute of paid sick time, 83% have no paid parental leave, and roughly 44 million are without health insurance. Remote work makes juggling the responsibilities of life easier (and helps companies weather the next pandemic), but society has shown us that many workplaces would rather replace employees with robots than worry about their quality of life. At The Guerrilla Politic, we provide high quality, custom advertising to progressive, Democratic candidates up and down the ballot because we’re passionate about helping them change the world. And, as a fully remote-based group that includes women, single parents, students, minorities, and non-billionaires, we can see there’s plenty about our world that needs changing.
The political establishment on both sides is rife with people either trying to make a quick buck off of candidates or infusing a campaign with so much cash that it dominates the conversation (hello, Bloomberg). We know that, as powerful as money is, ideas can go even further. TGP helps candidates win by providing great messaging and personalized design that complements the hard work they’re already doing every day. And, most importantly, we make our services accessible to candidates at every level, from city council to the state legislature.
So what’s the key to our success? A company culture that also scores major points with our employees, who are like one big, weird family but with all the same political views. We’ve been remote workers since day one, both because minimal overhead saves everyone money and because it allows us to harness talent wherever we find it. We can hire people with amazing ideas who don’t fit the traditional work mold due to family commitments, “real” corporate jobs, or serious aversions to “professional” clothes. We don’t tell them when or where to get their work done, just to do it well. And we partner with other people and companies who share the progressive values that drive us—paying employees fairly, giving women, people of color, and other underrepresented populations a shot, and making life easier for working families. (Plus, never underestimate how much more fun meetings can be with new babies cooing in the background or adorable pets on the Google Hangout).
We love the work we do for our clients, but our job doesn’t end there. We also believe it’s our responsibility to be an example of an inclusive, innovative, and successful remote agency. It’s as important as our activism, or as going out to the polls every Election Day. Showing other companies that it's possible to build a connected, engaged, and creative team but not share an office with them may inspire them to take the leap into teleworking. Showing workers that they can find a job that accommodates their busy lives and still pays a living wage means they might demand more from their next employer. We know remote work is the future, but we don’t know when the future officially begins. In the meantime, we’ll do our best for our clients, be an example of an innovative and successful work culture, and do it all from the comfort of our toilet paper-stocked homes.