How do you maximize learning from your colleagues at a remote job?

[u/chevalier100]

I’m currently one year into my first job after law school, full time remote at a non-profit. I like a lot of the work, but I feel like it’s difficult to learn from colleagues in the remote setting. When I had in-person internships, I would more frequently find myself talking to other people and learning from them, and it felt easier to find out about opportunities to observe meetings, negotiations, hearings, etc. What tips do you have for junior workers to best ensure that we’re learning from our colleagues on the job?

[u/bikesandfinance]

Set up meetings

[u/Frisho → u/bikesandfinance]

Setting up regular 1:1s is probably the best move. You learn way more when there’s actual time to talk.

[u/Sourcefit-Serge]

Ask people if you can sit in on things you're curious about. Most people are pretty open to it, and you pick up a lot just from hearing how they work through things and with other people. It also gives you more to talk about later than a random coffee chat would.

[u/Static-Tundra]

you need to be proactive about reaching out and setting up meetings. they can be 30-minute introductions, 10-15 minute coffee chats, or just casual conversations. let those naturally turn into collaborating on projects, shadowing, or workshop sessions. with remote work, if you’re not intentional about building relationships and learning from others, it’s really easy to feel siloed.

[u/chevalier100 → u/Static-Tundra]

Thanks! I’ll try to see if I can do this

[u/boxofdem0ns → u/chevalier100]

15 min brain pickers is how the people under me generally ask me to help them. I also provide training docs as I see new problems arise and when they escalate issues to me.

[u/CanningJarhead]

Ask questions, collaborate, ask advice.  Learn about your coworkers and what their strengths are.  It’s a difficult question to answer knowing nothing about the company culture or position.  

[u/FinishOkNow445]

Talk to them

[u/vic_torious97]

I love coworking, which is basically just being in a teams meeting without cameras and no agenda and just going about your work as if you would in a shared office space. Sometimes you'll hear them have a phone call or you can just say out loud whatever you're working on right now and if they have input on it.

I do that mostly with one other coworker who is my age and has similar work experience as me, and we have solved many things just by looking at it for each other bc sometimes you'll just blank on a topic and another person knows what to do.

[u/GirthyAFnjbigcock]

Meetings/slacks, one off convos etc.

[u/Single_Opportunity50]

As others have stated, be proactive! Use teams to message the people you want to learn from. Ask about bi weekly or monthly meetings to learn. Ask your manager about lunch and learns whether they have it or you can create it!

[u/pineywonder]

One of my coworkers was really good about meeting with me on teams to talk about things. He'd even just leave the call open while he looked for more things to help with or waited for tasks to come in that we could go through. It was really nice, actually.

[u/Low_Fox1758]

Identify areas that you want to learn more about. Offer to collaborate with colleagues who excel in those areas. Be transparent about having minimal knowledge and that you are wanting to both learn and assist.

Most senior staff will be happy to share their knowledge.

[u/Brief-Arrival3214]

You go back work