Interview with Andriy Haydash

Andriy Haydash is a WordPress Developer and Consultant. He has a company called PROGMATIQ from where he helps people build and launch successful membership and e-learning sites. You can find him in his site, twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

1. How did you started working remotely? 

In July of 2017, having worked about 3 years as a web developer in 2 companies I’ve decided start my own journey.

There were a few reasons for that, but the main driver was freedom.

I wanted to have more control over my time and my income.
I didn’t want to get paid directly for the time I’ve put in, but rather for the value that I can provide.

That’s how it all started for me.

2. What do you think are the main advantages of remote work?

There are many of them and for certain people, they can be different.

But for me personally, I think it’s me having control over my business.
I always knew that if I work at a company, I will eventually hit the ceiling with my income.

I wanted to be able to have full control over how much I earn and strategic things that I can do to improve that.
And that obviously comes with its’ territory and risks.
But I like that.

It forces you to grow as a person, become more organized and disciplined.

And the second advantage is having a flexible schedule.
I wanted to able to structure my work around the things I love doing, not the opposite way.

And so far, I’ve been able to do that relatively successfully.

3. Do you think there are disadvantages or that you’re missing something by working remotely?

Yes, for sure.

To me it was communication.
When I first started working remotely, it took me about a month or so to adjust to the fact that I’m working and I don’t have people around me to chat.

This can be a big problem when working on bigger projects or in teams, as it’s much harder (in my opinion) to work in a team while not being present in the office.

The other disadvantage which applies more to freelancers, not necessarily all remote workers, is the risk of losing your financial stability.

When you’re a worker at a company, you think strictly as an employee and you don’t care how your company generates revenue, you don’t care about marketing, sales, and other business processes (unless you work in one of those departments obviously).

However, once you become a freelancer, you have to figure out how to find work.

And that’s probably one of the biggest challenges that most freelancers have.

4. From what cities or countries have you worked since you have become remote? 

Honestly, I’m not the kind of guy who travels a lot.

I’d even say that I almost don’t travel.

So, so far I’ve had a chance to work from Poland (where I currently live) and Ukraine (where I was born and raised).

Both places are good, but I prefer working from Poland simply because when I come back home to Ukraine, there are other things that I can do with family and friends and that environment is a bit harder to adjust to.

5. From what type of place do you prefer to work? 

Well, as I mentioned above, I’m not a typical digital nomad 🙂

I usually work from home or sometimes I come to the office that my friends rent.

6. Which places would you like to travel to while working remotely?

I’m not a big traveler, but I’d like to visit many countries if I have a chance to.

Some of them are Spain, Italy, Greece, Australia, and maybe Brazil.

7. What would you say to the companies that don’t believe in hiring employees who work remotely?

I think that they have a right to say so, and for some projects, it may be an issue.
But I wouldn’t be too focused on that.

First of all, there is no guarantee that someone who is working in the office is going to be a good worker.
You need people that are committed, disciplined and with skills.

Many remote workers possess that.

And secondly, remote workers can some times provide cheaper and better labor than in-house workers, especially if you live in an expensive country or area.

So you’re partially paying higher salaries because of the cost of living, not necessarily for the value that you’re getting.

These are the things I would consider before hiring a remote worker.

8. What tools do you use to work remotely?

I don’t use many tools, but some of them are Slack for messaging, Codeable.io – it’s a freelancing platform where I get work and GitLab for project management and version control.

9. How do you manage your business and taxes as a remote working professional?

Simply – I just pay a small fee to the accounting firm and they tell me how much I should pay in taxes 🙂

10. What advice would you give to people looking to work remotely and companies making the remote switch?

For people who are looking to work remotely I’d advise becoming more disciplined.

I’ve seen some of my colleagues messing up their whole routine and sleep cycles that can lead to stress, depression and other health issues.

When you’re working remotely, especially if you have a flexible schedule – you have more responsibility for your routine.
This is something that some people learn the hard way.

And for companies who are thinking about hiring remote workers – I’d say give it a try.

Make sure that the person you’re hiring has the right individual qualities and professional skills. And if they seem to be a good match – then give them a shot 🙂