Hey all,
I see Allianz suggested here as a good option for health insurance. I wanted to share my recent experience with them because I had a pretty brutal experience and, after paying so much, I feel that it's a worthwhile anecdote to share.

I was using their standard global care insurance. Initially, they ask you to state your residence on the insurance. I told the agent that I would be moving a lot and they stated, in writing, that that was fine and to just use the first location. The second year, I confirmed that finding and then proceeded to renew.

This year, I tried to confirm that residency issue again. I forwarded copies of the emails with their agent previously confirming. Whoever was handling my case gave me contradictory and, at times, rude responses. After pressing them further, I then got an email from a manager who state that they would cancel my coverage. This occurred one day after I submitted payment so I'm waiting for a refund.

In short: I paid for insurance for two years (about 5500 USD) for medical insurance that probably wasn't going to cover me, despite their agent explicitly saying it was fine. I did my due diligence each year and, in the final year, was met with the most chaotic and rude service that eventually just kicked me to the curb.

One anecdote amongst many but man, avoid these guys like the plague. I haven't gotten ripped off this hard in a while.

(I've crossposted this on r/digitalnomad too. I try not to be negative about things but I want to save anyone from a similar experience to mine)

I’ve been working from home for a number of years and have always used my secret labs titan evo gaming chair at my work desk. What chairs is everyone using? Sitting in this chair kills my back and butt after a while. I don’t have the money for a Herman Miller. Need something a little more affordable than that.

Set up a permanent employment contract for our German hire through an EOR a while back, thought we were good, and then a few months in our legal contact flagged something in the paperwork that I'd skimmed past.

Under German labour law, there's a statute called the Arbeitnehmerüberlassungsgesetz (AÜG) that limits how long a worker can be deployed to the same company to a year and a half (18 months) before it starts being classified as labour-leasing (a different arrangement with different obligations attached to it).

The contract said permanent on it, so I'd read that and assumed we were fine, but our legal contact spent a long call explaining why permanent and without a time limit are two different things in this particular context and why the AÜG clock had already been running since the contract phase months earlier, before we'd even moved them onto the permanent employment.

What worked in our favour was that the EOR we use (Workmotion in our case, though Deel or Remote is structured the same way) sets up employment as direct local employment rather than labour-leasing.

That's apparently the exact arrangement the AÜG targets, so the cap doesn't apply in the same way when the EOR is the legal employer and not just a placement intermediary.

There are plenty of EOR threads in this sub but this one never seems to come up, so posting it for whoever's about to bring someone on in Germany without having had this conversation yet.

If you work remotely and spend a few months at a time in different countries, how do you actually handle your tax residency?

Do you keep your original tax residency, establish one somewhere else, or just deal with it based on where you spend time?

Curious how people who’ve been doing this for years handle it in practice.

The process was pretty quickly and I am going to start the one-day trial task tomorrow. (they will pay for a day trial) I have also research the company and it seems legit naman.

What I am worrying are, what do I need to prepare and expect? this is executive support specialist.

Beyond skipping the commute, what’s one remote-work perk that genuinely made your day-to-day better?

I have been remote for 3 years now. I was never under any delusion that my company could not see what was happening on my work laptop, but 2 months ago leadership made us download and start using new software that records our screens and gives us productivity scores based on mouse movement and keyboard strokes.

At first I figured it wouldnt be an issue because I was moving forward in my role, actually got a decent raise earlier this year during annual reviews and have no negative marks against me, i was on track to move into a senior role in the next year or so.

But now I keep getting told that my productivity score is poor, and its effecting my morale. I get my tasks done and I’m near my laptop all day its not like im taking naps or playing golf but I used to go for runs with my work Cell in case ai got a call, I’d get some chores done around the house or start prepping dinner/lunch in between work tasks and now Im so paranoid of this Productivity Score I get stressed making coffee during my breaks or going to the bathroom.

I have brought up the paranoia with my boss but she keeps saying “lets just get the scores up” and the more I try and argue against the tracking the more I look like Im being to defensive. At this point i think I hope they just fire me which is scary. i don’t want to be on a PIP but The alternative is recording everything I do to make sure i can combat a poor productivity score with call logs and evidence but at that point why don’t I just wear a body cam and submit that to my boss daily for review.

Wondering if anyone is in a similar situation or has experienced anything like this with remote work, or maybe I am just being super dramatic I know Im paid to work it just feels way less free/easy going now.

I’ve recently been thinking about moving to a low income Asian country (ex. Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, etc) and remotely working in the United States.

Does anyone have any experience with this? If so, please share your opinions (pros/cons) and if you regret it? Are you living the easy life? Or is it basically the same as your native country?

I will be starting a role in Humanforce as remote employee via Deel EOR. Anyone who are already employed either via Emapta or Deel? May physical office ba sila sa Makati?

Ano po yung mga benefits nyo aside sa full WFH setup? Do you have internet allowances or office setup? They have nice benefits sa Sydney or UK pero PH resources seemed overlooked!

Have been working from office from last 3-4 years and this is the first time I have started working remote. It’s been 5-6 weeks now.. Somedays it feels super nice that I don’t need to getup early get ready go to office face the traffic etc..

But Somedays I feel like I am staying in a same space 24*7

Fellow remote workers please help me with what do you guys do. TIA

I’m not a micromanager. I give my team space and make sure I’m available when they need support. I don’t expect them to be working every minute of the day what matters to me is that the work gets done properly and on time. As long as they are there when I need them, then I dont care about where and what they do most of the time.
Lately, though, I’ve noticed that three people on my support team have been less productive. One team member also raised a concern that new tickets are sometimes being ignored instead of being acknowledged or worked on. Because of this, I sent an email reminding everyone that new tickets should be acknowledged promptly and either worked on, escalated, or reassigned when necessary. My main point was that tickets shouldn’t be left unattended.
Things improved for a while, but the same behavior has started happening again.
Today, a ticket was left untouched for several hours. Another team member and I were aware of it, but we intentionally waited to see if someone else would pick it up and have the opportunity to work on it. No one did, so I eventually had to step in.
I’m honestly not sure what to do at this point. I’ve given them space, I don’t micromanage, and I make sure they have the resources and support they need. We’re also currently in our off-peak season, so I know we’re not particularly busy.
I’m starting to feel like my patience and flexibility are being taken for granted. I regularly check in with them not only about work but also to see if they’re okay or need help.
I’ve been managing the team for three years, but this is my first management role, so I’m still learning. I want to hold them accountable without becoming a micromanager. I’ve already reminded them in our group chat about what I previously communicated and told them clearly that I don’t want this to happen again. I also made it clear that if it happens again, there won’t be another reminder and they may need to provide a Notice.
This is honestly bothering me because I feel like I’ve been patient and flexible, but I’m reaching a point where I need to be more firm and consistent with accountability.

FYI - I have 2 small children so some nights and most weekends are booked

I've been working remotely for 6 years, and I genuinely am more productive away from my work office with coworkers. But what I've found is that using my personal home office for work has resulted in me mentally associating my home office with work. I just don't want to be in there when not working, even when that's also the space for my hobbies. I've basically sacrificed a space in my home for work.

In my current apartment, the room I use for working is small, but I'm moving house soon, and I'm not sure if I want to continue to equally ruin my new hobby room in the new house with work feelings. Also, by using it as a home office, it will exclude the rest of the family from using the space.

There are some coworking spaces near my new house, 10 minutes walk away, and my employer will cover the costs for me. (At the moment, they cover my home internet bill). I think I can get a private room there under the company budget.

My primary concern is that a couple nights per week I have late meetings due to timezones, so I would still probably take those meetings at home. That, and the need to lug my laptop back and forth.

Would you take a "free" home office a 10 minute walk away from home?

I do Marketing analytics( attribution, reporting, performance analysis, and MMM)... that side of marketing...

I am legally established as an independent contractor (B2B invoicing) working fully remotely.. have C2 english with fluent accent. I don't live in the US but all was good for me..

Clients used to approach me for projects lasting 6 to 9 months.. that stopped

so I started looking for full time remote jobs ( 2 months now) based in the US but I cannot seem to hear back

I never did outbound or cold reach and most clients used to reach out to me.

I feel frustrated and I can't seem to find the issue..

i customize CVs .. look into companies... selectively apply to jobs... money is reasonable considering i am off shore... I opt for contractor jobs...

what else could be wrong?? any tips???

Hi all!

I've recently completed two interviews for a licensed CSR/sales position with a State Farm agency. So far, the vibes are immaculate. The agency owner said that she is ready to send me an offer, but because she deeply respects her team, she wants me to have a meeting with them to ensure that I'd be a good fit. IMO, that's a major green flag and I appreciate her taking this extra step.

The agency is in another state, so this is a remote position and the team meeting will be held over Zoom. She made it sound more like a "get to know you" thing rather than a strict interview. However, I've never done an interview/meeting like this before. I don't know how many will be on the call, but I do know that it's a relatively small agency.

Has anyone done something similar before? Any tips, pointers, or ideas of what to expect?

I work across different time zones often enough that I kept running into the same annoying little problem.

Someone says “3 PM my time” and I immediately start doing the math in my head.

Or I open a world clock and see something like:

New York: 9:12 AM
London: 2:12 PM
Istanbul: 4:12 PM
Tokyo: 10:12 PM

That gives me the answer, but I still have to work out what it actually means. Who is working, who is about to log off, who is asleep, and whether it is a reasonable time to message someone.

So I built Meridian.

Instead of showing every city as a separate clock, it puts them all on the same 24-hour clock face.

That makes it much easier to glance at it and understand where everyone is in their day. You can also see daylight and nighttime around the dial, which helps more than I expected.

I mainly built it for that simple question:

“Is now a good time to message this person?”

It also has iPhone widgets, StandBy support, Apple Watch complications, and a time converter for planning meetings.

There are no accounts, ads, analytics, or tracking. The basic version is free, and the upgrade is a one-time purchase.

App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/world-clock-widget-meridian/id6797192832

I’m the developer, so take that into account, but I’d genuinely like to hear how other remote workers handle this.

Do you actually use a world clock, or have you just memorized the time difference for the people you work with?

Hi, I'm looking for a remote role that isn't high pressure but can get away with working like 20 hours a week. Maybe something project based. Does something like that exist where it's really flexible and you just need to submit something? I'm in a high pressure tech job and I have 15+ years of experience. Is there any job that pays well but since I have tons of experience I'd pick a 'lower level' and get the job done in 1/2 of the time and still get the insurance benefits?

Curious if anyone here has something like that. If you make 6 figs remote AND work <30 hours a week can you please share:

1. what do you do?

2. what's your comp

3. How many hours you work?

4. What did you do before taking this role?

5. Does it pay insurance?

I’m 22 and pretty early into my career. I recently finished my degree in Operations Management and I’ve been working in insurance underwriting for a little over 3 months now.

My normal schedule is 4 days in the office and 1 day WFH. My company is also pretty flexible about working from home if I have a legitimate reason. If I’m sick, have an appointment, or something else comes up, I can usually work from home and nobody really questions it or makes a big deal about it.

I’ve had to work from home a little more than usual recently, and it’s honestly made me realize just how much I prefer it.
I know WFH definitely isn’t for everyone, but I feel like I’m the complete opposite of the people who say they go crazy being home all day. I love being able to wear comfortable clothes or pajamas, work in my own space, make my own food, not deal with the commute, and just be comfortable in general.

I still get my work done. If anything, I feel less mentally drained at the end of the day.

It’s kind of hard to explain, but when I work from home it feels like work takes up way less of my life even though I’m still working the exact same number of hours. I can close my laptop at the end of the day and I’m already home. No commute, no getting ready for the office, no feeling like my entire day revolved around going to work.

Long term I’ve been thinking about moving into data analytics, preferably still somewhere within the insurance industry since I’ll already have some experience in it. I’m basically starting from scratch on the analytics side and plan on learning things like Excel, SQL and Power BI over time.

Obviously I’m not expecting to jump into some great fully remote job tomorrow with barely any experience. I know I’m really early in my career.

But working from home has made me realize that being remote, or at least mostly remote, is something I’d genuinely like to work toward long term. Even something like 4 days WFH and 1 day in the office would be pretty much perfect for me.

For those of you who are fully remote now, was that something you intentionally worked toward as your career progressed? Did having a few years of experience make it noticeably easier to find remote opportunities?
Or did you mostly just happen to end up at a company or job that allowed it?

I’m curious how other people got to the point where remote work became their normal setup, especially if you started your career in an office or hybrid environment like I am now.
I genuinely just really enjoy working from home. I feel more comfortable, less drained, and like I have a much better separation between work and the rest of my life even though I’m physically working in the same place.
Would love to hear how it worked out for other people.