Freshers in a Remote-First World

There are two types of workforces in an office environment. One consists of people who like to be frequently surrounded by their colleagues and therefore enjoy going to the office. The other consists of people who prefer isolation and thrive when not frequently surrounded by others—hence, they enjoy working from home. The latter are neither introverts nor extroverts. In most cases, both types have spent some time working in an office environment for at least a few years, sitting next to colleagues and benefiting from direct or indirect interactions with them.

For example, I started my career as a full-time remote software engineer. Then, I switched to a full-time office-based role in London, where I travelled to the office every day for almost six years. During that time, I had the privilege of sitting next to my manager and being surrounded by senior colleagues who were tremendously helpful and knowledgeable. After some time, I gradually shifted to hybrid mode before eventually transitioning to working from home permanently. When you’ve had the chance to experience various working styles, you begin to notice patterns and discover which environment makes you feel most comfortable or successful and also improves your work-life balance.

I’ve had managers who were solely focused on task completion without fostering any growth or innovation… my current leaders want us to try new things, take risks, and pursue learning opportunities, even if it means spending time away from our regular job duties. This supportive environment has been a game-changer for my professional development.
Gen z
https://www.deloitte.com/content/dam/assets-shared/docs/campaigns/2025/2025-genz-millennial-survey.pdf

If you’re someone who just finished university or college (Gen-Z) and are on the hunt for your first white-collar role, there’s a high chance you’ll land a fully remote position. This might sound exciting if you like the idea of working from home or anywhere. However, as fresher, you might not notice the things that could have added value to your life or career had you had the privilege of being surrounded by highly skilled colleagues. From a managerial point of view, you may also fail to realise that your newly joined Gen-Z team member is missing out on a vital piece of guidance if you treat them the same way you treat someone who worked in an office for a decade before switching to remote work by choice.

In this article, I’ll be discussing a few important things to remember if you’re a fresher who has just taken on a work-from-home role. From a team leader’s perspective, I’ll also outline a few key steps you can take to add meaningful value to the career and work experience of your newly joined remote colleague.

🌱 From the fresher’s point of view

Seek guidance

Having a mindset to seek guidance and through guidance either to advance through the challenge you are currently facing or simply to fill your knowledge tank is a good trait to own into. Unlike when you are surrounded by colleagues in an office environment, it is nearly impossible to witness that a colleague is lacking guidance or direction; therefore, struggling. Reaching out for help when you are struggling, lacking direction, or uncertain of something is the wise thing to do instead of procrastinating. This will also help you showcase yourself as a “doer”, instead of someone who struggles silently.

🔑 Key takeway: If you are stuck, don’t ponder, just ask someone.

Show interest in learning new things

As a fresher who just landed your first role, you will probably have a very high level of curiosity to know how things work or how to do certain things. This is where you need to recognise your passion to learn new things and keep feeding that mindset. Unlike in an office environment, where your manager could just look at you and hand over an interesting task where you will learn new things, it is not going to be the same when you are sitting behind your computer screen at your own home. Therefore, the only way to convey your passion is to put your hand forward for new learning opportunities or simply ask for it.

🔑 Key takeway: Become an owner of a learning mindset.

Forgive your manager

In the same way you are new to your remote role, your manager might be new to their remote team lead role too. Therefore, your manager might be going through a challenging learning period and, as a result, he or she might not necessarily be in the right frame of mind to understand your requirements as a fresher. This will present you with the opportunity to communicate your requirements clearly with your manager and improve your life skills to forgive others.

🔑 Key takeway: Forgive others around you, as they might not necessarily understand you.

Engage in casual chat

One of the main social aspects people who go to the office frequently enjoy is the spontaneous casual chats they have with their colleagues—such as over a coffee or inside the elevator. Spontaneous chats frequently lead to better team bonding, increased out-of-the-box ideas, and elevated happiness. As a team leader who manages a remote team, I have come across this being one of the primary social factors people who work remotely miss the most.

To overcome this challenge, you can have frequent casual chats with your colleagues/manager over a coffee or over lunch remotely, even if it is for a quick 5–10 minutes. Try to lead a conversation where you do not just focus on work-related matters and enjoy sharing a bit about your personal life—if you are comfortable doing so—and see where this leads to… (If you are feeling lonely or isolated from your colleagues, take a look at my article)

🔑 Key takeway: Set aside some time, regularly, to get to know your colleagues.

🌴 From the Team leader’s point of view

Sharpen your listening skills

This is an important skill to master no matter where you are in your career ladder. However, this is particularly important if you are managing a team. The more you listen to your new team member, the easier it becomes to build a rapport and enjoy a mutually beneficial working relationship. The earlier you understand their ambitions and goals, from day one, you can support them in the right way to build their trust and unleash their loyalty and improve sense of belonging to the team.

🔑 Key takeway: Be the first to listen, then to understand.

Appreciate publicly, criticise privately

Nobody likes to be criticised publicly. The same goes for the new joiner too. If you find your newly joined team member has made a mistake which needs correcting, instead of criticising in a group meeting, arrange a 1:1 meeting with him or her. In that meeting, ask them what the thought process was behind the decision that led to the incorrect action, rather than simply asking, “Why did you do it?” The intention is to understand any gap in knowledge and support them to thrive. If it’s helpful and both parties agree, you can share the lessons learned with others to help them avoid making the same mistake.

When it comes to appreciating, most of us like to be appreciated publicly. When a fresher delivers something that meets your expectations, appreciate their efforts and praise them in a group meeting. This will motivate them to continue to meet or exceed expectations and also encourage others to do the same.

🔑 Key takeway: When people do mistakes, help them correct. When they are right, praise them publicly.

Generation Z’s perspective

As of the second quarter of 2024, Gen Z accounted for 18% of the U.S. workforce¹, and they are reshaping how work gets done. Gen Z’s goals are different. As opposed to older generations, this group wants more than a paycheck. They desire purpose, meaningful work, and the opportunity to make an impact². The 2024 Deloitte Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey³ found that 86% of Gen Zers say a sense of purpose is key to job satisfaction, with 44% willing to reject employers misaligned with their ethics.

According to the survey, the Gen Zers believe managers’ key role is to provide guidance and support, to inspire and motivate them, to offer mentorship, and to help them set boundaries to ensure work/life balance. Instead, many feel that their managers are mostly focused on closely overseeing day-to-day tasks.

🔑 Key takeway: Gen Zers are an asset to a company, treat them respectfully and appreciate the value they add to your team.

Gen Z’s entrepreneurial mindset

Modern Gen Zers carry entrepreneurship DNA in their body. They are concerned about the financial instability of just having one primary role. Therefore, they seek secondary roles, side hustles, or gigs—however you like to call it—to stay on top of the financial requirements of the modern world.

According to the 2024 Deloitte Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey, around one-third of Gen Zs have a side job in addition to their primary job. While needing a secondary source of income is the primary reason Gen Zs cite for having a second job, many also say that it helps them develop important skills and relationships, is a hobby of theirs, and allows them to make a positive impact in their community or society. Therefore, as a manager, you need to spot these trends early and help them achieve their entrepreneurial goals while thriving at work.

🔑 Key takeway: Gen Zers are fast learners and excellent with business ideas. Help them thrive and learn from them.

In a Nutshell

Each year, thousands of graduates enter the workforce⁴. Unlike the people who enjoyed many years in an office-based role, then transitioned into fully remote work, most modern freshers go straight into a remote role. While fully remote working brings tons of flexibility to the fresher, they might not know what they are missing out on, which can be pivotal to progress in their career. On the other hand, managers who lead remote-first freshers need to make sure they understand their perspectives and help them reach their goals. We have discussed a few key points for freshers to take on and develop, as well as for team leaders to help freshers thrive in a remote-first world.

🎯 Need Expert Help?

If you’re facing challenges with remote work, I offer 1:1 coaching and tailored support to help you succeed at remote setup. Whether you’re just starting out, growing as a remote contributor, leading a team, or launching a remote-first start-up, Remote Winners offers targeted 1:1 coaching to help you thrive in a distributed world. We also provide tech consultancy services—from idea-to-product guidance to cloud deployment and cybersecurity reviews—to help organisations strengthen their technology and processes.

If you are unsure where to begin, drop us a message and we’ll be in touch.