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Disasters happen all the time. Earthquakes strike whether we're ready for them or not. Disease outbreaks happen. Let's not downplay human-caused disasters, either, such as riots, acts of war, and terrorism. They all have unpredictable consequences for the people around them. If you run a company, do you...

Before working at Zapier, I didn't have first-hand experience with UX (user experience) research. Largely based on instinct or a few Google Analytics reports, those experiences put decision-making in a black box for me. I never really understood the “why” behind design decisions.

But a simple idea completely changed...

Hi! I’m Bethany, Product Manager and extrovert. Super nice to meet you!

People often confuse being extroverted with being an outgoing person. And a lot of times the two traits do go hand-in-hand.

But to me, being extroverted isn’t about being outgoing. It describes the way an individual...

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend four hours sharpening the axe."- Attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but most likely never said by him

Everyone could use a good productivity tool or two. If you're a carpenter, you need a hammer and nails. Painters...

More and more companies are seeing the benefits of remote work for productivity in the workplace. As Director of Design at Zapier, I frequently get asked the question of how the design process works for an all-remote team. With design processes, there is an inherently added pressure in the design...

One of the downsides of being a remote team is that physical interaction doesn't happen unless you make a dedicated effort to get the team together.

While we are firmly of the belief that day-to-day work does not need to happen in person, we do believe that there are...

One of the less frequently talked about benefits of working in a remote team is that you have complete control over your workspace. In a traditional office space, you're forced to work in a one-size-fits-all environment, which is often suboptimal for everyone.

At Zapier, everyone creates their own workspace...

When it comes to remote teams, culture is a huge topic. Common knowledge suggests that co-located teams have an easier time building culture compared to remote teams.

In fact, I've even had co-located teams tell me their culture problems were solved by simply buying a foosball table. Though I...

In the last few years, several companies, including IBM and Yahoo!, have banned remote work—and many people continue to debate the merits of remote work. On the other end of the spectrum: companies like Automattic, Buffer, and GitLab that are successful as 100% remote teams. Unfortunately, information about how...

Since our beginning in October 2011, Zapier has grown from three founders cramped in a small apartment to a team of over 110 around the world. Along the way, we've picked up a few tricks (and things to avoid) to make building a remote team easier.

Ed. note: It...