[Jjinbit] "Is Work Getting Done?" We Asked 'Born to Be Remote' Companies... [Office Shift] (31)

'Born-to-Be Remote' Companies Adopting Remote Work from Inception: Interviews with HR Leaders from Deel, Upstage, and Konny by Erin

Editor's Note[Jinbit] is a column by Hyunjin Jung about “real business trends”—the name is a contraction of both “Jung Hyunjin’s Business Trend” and the Korean for “genuine business trends.” This segment, called “Office Shift,” closely examines changes in the workplace that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through our shared experiments, the aim is to reconsider and seek answers on ways of working. You’ll find new editions every Saturday or Sunday. After 40 installments, the series will also be published as a book.

The era when “company” equated to “office space” is coming to an end. More and more firms are adopting remote work as their basic employment system from the very moment they’re launched. These are what some call “Born to be Remote” (meaning “destined to be”) companies. For these businesses, unlike those that shifted to remote work in response to COVID-19, every aspect of communication and work processes was designed around working from home from day one.

Not only in the global hub of Silicon Valley, but even in Korea, startups are actively operating after incorporating remote work from inception. Examples include global HR software company Deel, Korean AI software firm Upstage, and parenting product maker Konny by Erin. On June 23, The Asia Business Daily interviewed three HR leaders—Casey Bailey, Global Head of People at Deel; Hanna Ryu, HR Leader at Upstage; and Jeongwon Uh, HR Manager at Konny by Erin—to discuss productivity, challenges, and other aspects of remote work. The central question behind every inquiry was ultimately: “Is the company running smoothly?”

◆ What Happens When You Work from Home from the Start... How About Productivity?

First, we asked why they made the “unusual decision” to forgo an office right from the outset.

"Our founder and CEO, Alex Bouaziz, didn’t want to be constrained by only hiring people within a 30-kilometer radius of the office. He wanted the best team made up of the world’s top talent, believing that having an open, diverse, and global team would benefit the business." (Casey Bailey)

"At Upstage, nearly 70% of our staff are developers. Because of the nature of our work, productivity is highest when individuals can concentrate independently, in their own time and space. Plus, since we can hire globally, we’re able to recruit a wide range of talent with no regional limitations." (Hanna Ryu)

"Our CEO, Ihrang Lim, was a career woman who co-founded the company while jointly raising children. Her desire to manage both parenting and her own career, authentically, is what led us to structure our organization around remote work." (Jeongwon Uh)

The explanation: they chose “Born to be Remote” in order both to secure top talent and to offer an environment where staff could balance work and childcare. Employees at all three companies are dispersed around the globe, not concentrated in one region. Deel, based in Silicon Valley, now employs 2,600 people across more than 100 countries. At Upstage, headquartered in Seoul, 10% of employees reside overseas, in places like the United States, Canada, and Hong Kong. And at Konny by Erin, over half the team’s forty employees live outside of Seoul.

Although their businesses began remotely, if things hadn’t worked out, they would have set up an office and required staff to commute just like any other company. But instead, these companies have maintained the remote work model for as long as four to seven years.

The numbers explain why. Deel became a “decacorn” (a startup valued above $10 billion) within three years of founding, surpassing a $10 billion valuation (over 12.95 trillion won) in that time. Since its establishment in 2017, Konny by Erin has been steadily profitable every year for six years, with sales growing by more than 10% last year alone. Last year, Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol wearing Konny by Erin’s baby carrier attracted media attention. Upstage, leveraging major clients such as Samsung Life, POSCO Holdings, and Samsung SDS, recorded 6 billion won in revenue last year. Upstage CEO Sungwoon Kim stated last month, “In just the first half of this year, we have generated 5 billion won in revenue, and expect to break even next year.”

With the recent surge of global interest in AI, Upstage locally launched its ChatGPT-based AI chatbot “AskUp” in March. Nicknamed the “ChatGPT with eyes,” the AskUp project—built for KakaoTalk—amassed 1 million users within two months. Upstage handled everything from building the task force to recruiting users and rolling out recent upgrades entirely through remote work. Ryu stated, “This is a clear example of maximizing productivity and efficiency in a remote work setting, even in a short period of time.”

So what about the productivity and efficiency of remote work, which everyone wonders about? Uh commented:

"With remote work, results are emphasized far more than when you’re required to show up at the office. In an office, just sitting at your desk signals that you’re working, but when working from home, it’s your results that serve as proof. If you don’t do the work, it’s obvious. If you assemble a strong team of talented people, agree on goals, and set action plans, then regardless of where you work, productivity and efficiency will naturally follow." (Jeongwon Uh)

◆ It Wasn’t Easy: The Adaptation Process for Remote Work

Even though all three companies have achieved results, they admit that building remote work systems was a challenge. Everything—communications, meetings, work coordination, even work-life balance—needed to operate remotely without missing any of the elements that exist in a physical office environment.

According to the three HR leaders, two main factors define how “Born to be Remote” companies build their workplace environments: ▲ Hiring the right talent for remote work; and ▲ Using every available system to create connections that form one unified team. The gaps in oversight and relationship-building usually created by an offline office are instead addressed through employee characteristics and systemic measures.

Identifying “remote work-ready” talent is the most distinct feature of such companies—one that clearly differentiates them from those that merely switched from office-based to remote working. Since the work system is based on autonomy and trust, securing self-motivated and responsible employees comes first, they explain.

"For remote work, individual qualities and competencies are even more important than job roles. People who can immerse themselves and take responsibility for their work in an open environment thrive here—and Upstage is actively looking for these kinds of people." (Hanna Ryu)

"At Deel, we focus on hiring people who have the right attitude for remote work: those who are self-managing and good at communicating. When advising other companies about building remote teams, I always say to first identify your most important team traits, and then be ruthless about hiring people who have them." (Casey Bailey)

"Because remote work makes it hard to provide direct guidance, it is more suitable for people with prior work experience rather than newcomers with no professional background. At Konny by Erin, we’ve built an excellent organization of senior professionals with deep career experience and drive. By reaching consensus on work methods and building trust, we’ve been able to achieve ambitious goals as a team." (Jeongwon Uh)

Once the right people are recruited, efforts focus on connecting them as “one team.” Bailey, the global head, pointed out, “Managing remote workers is a core challenge. Building a culture in a fully distributed workforce is never easy. If you fail, employees will feel disconnected, productivity and morale will drop.” The idea is that it’s essential to actively cultivate a sense of belonging and set common goals even in a remote environment.

To address this, Deel and Upstage hold regular all-hands meetings—weekly at Deel, and twice a month at Upstage—to share company goals and business progress, helping each employee understand their role’s significance. At all three companies, team leaders—that is, managers—are tasked with regular communication with their staff, soliciting ongoing feedback about projects so that no one feels isolated from the company.

They sometimes set common work hours too. In the early days, Konny by Erin applied flexibility not just to work location but also hours. However, they found that whenever new products were launched, loose schedules made inter-team cooperation difficult. Uh explained, “Maintaining a consistent work schedule is crucial to maximizing collaboration, so now everyone works remotely on Korean standard office hours.”

Ryu added, “For team members living abroad, we arrange time zones with overlapping working hours with Korea to allow for focused meetings and communications.”

Additionally, like other remote companies, these “Born to be Remote” firms run offline programs—like shared meals or coffee breaks—to foster bonds among employees. Onboarding initiatives are a key feature, especially to help new hires adjust. All three companies also have measures in place for employee well-being, mindful that working from home causes work and personal life to blend in the same space and can be psychologically taxing.

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◆ If You Want to Be “Born to be Remote”... Check Your Preconditions

Despite their track records, the HR leaders emphasized they are not “blind cheerleaders” for remote work. They agree that there are many aspects to be carefully considered when building a company system that puts remote work first. All stress that meticulous effort from every employee is required to succeed.

"If you can create the right preconditions, remote work is highly efficient and attractive. It lets you operate without relying on physical constraints. But you must minimize operational challenges by first setting the right conditions." (Jeongwon Uh)

"Most companies aren’t prepared for fully remote work. This approach isn’t for everyone. Truly successful remote organizations require intentional connections, active communication, and leadership—so it’s quite challenging to implement. Anyone interested in going fully remote should take the time to clarify and explain exactly what they want from remote work." (Casey Bailey)

"If your business is suitable for remote work and you’re committed to keeping that culture, you need to invest significant effort in establishing your own culture and efficient systems and policies. Above all, people are the most important part. It’s crucial to foster a culture where employees participate, support, and collaborate together—and equally important to maintain and care for that culture. As organizations get bigger, growing pains can occur, but genuine colleagues who share ownership are what will help you overcome those hurdles as a unified team." (Hanna Ryu)

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.