Building heva across New York, Mexico, India, and the Dominican Republic leaves behind a simple truth: location is a tool, not a doctrine. We're headquartered in New York, have an office in Mexico, and we have teammates across NY, Mexico, the DR, and India who also work remotely. Most of our team works hybrid by role.
The question isn't remote versus in‑person; it's which work benefits most from being together, and which work thrives apart?
Why In‑Person Still Matters
When in the same room, ideas move faster. Whiteboards invite spontaneity, coaching happens in the margins, and new teammates absorb culture and norms quicker. An office day also creates a clean boundary for some colleagues, from structured routines, fewer home distractions, and a predictable rhythm for collaboration.
For our Account Executives, in‑person often means being embedded on‑site with providers—not at a corporate office—which accelerates trust, context, and cycle time. This direct engagement is crucial for building relationships in the healthcare technology space.
What Remote Work Unlocks
Remote work widened heva's aperture for talent. We've hired for skill and values first, with our cross‑cultural mix making decisions sharper. Flexibility eliminates commute friction and lets people tune their environment for deep focus—often translating to higher satisfaction and, for many, higher output.
It also gives product, engineering, and operations long, interruption‑light blocks across time zones while staying tightly connected to field insight. This is particularly valuable when serving international patients across different markets.
Exploring a Hybrid Operating System
Hybrid is not a compromise; it's a strategy. We reserve in‑person time for design sprints, onboarding, workshops, and trust‑building. We protect remote days for deep work, documentation, and asynchronous decision‑making that travels well across time zones.
Practically, our hybrid has three modes:
- Office: From the NY HQ to the CDMX office
- Field: On‑site with providers and leads
- Remote: Chosen intentionally for particular tasks at hand
This approach reflects Gallup's findings: about half of U.S. remote-capable employees currently work in a hybrid model, six in ten prefer it, and fewer than 10% want to be exclusively on-site.
How We Run It at heva
With teammates in NY, Mexico, India, and the DR, we set shared "collaboration windows," write decisions down, and default to async so no one's impact depends on where they sit. When the team does meet in person, we optimize for outcomes that are inherently social: strategy alignment, complex problem‑solving, and relationship‑building.
Our New York headquarters and Mexico office anchor periodic meetups and sprints; meanwhile, our Account Executives spend most days in clinics and hospitals with providers, channeling ground truth back to the product and go‑to‑market teams.
Key Practices for Hybrid Teams
Define the modes
Each work mode has its own goals and tools. We're intentional about when to be together and when to work apart.
Purpose before presence
In-person time is sacred—we save it for foundations and catalysts, and skip it when async is better.
Design for time zones
Shared collaboration windows, pre-reads, and async docs ensure no one's impact is limited by geography. This is essential when coordinating cross-border healthcare operations.
Focus on outcomes
We measure by clear definitions of done and transparent dashboards, not hours online.
Lead for inclusion
Managers run remote-first meetings, keep regular 1:1s, and make sure both remote and on-site teammates get equal access & attention.
One stack, one backbone
A single comms layer, project tools, and secure systems keep us coordinated across all locations and work modes.
Looking Forward
Hybrid, done deliberately, turns place into a performance lever. At heva, we seek to leverage our three‑mode playbook, strengthen the field‑to‑HQ signal chain, and schedule quarterly hybrid retrospectives anchored in employee feedback and business outcomes.
Our aim is simple:
- NYC HQ and CDMX office remain for high‑impact collaboration
- AEs continue embedded with providers for speed and trust
- Protect remote focus days for deep work
For us, hybrid isn't static—it's a system we'll keep tuning as we grow. The future of work isn't about choosing sides between remote and in-person; it's about being intentional with both.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hybrid Work
How do you maintain company culture with a distributed hybrid team?
We focus on shared values and clear communication rather than physical proximity. Regular all-hands meetings, intentional in-person gatherings, and consistent documentation help maintain our culture across all locations.
What tools are essential for hybrid work success?
A unified communication stack is crucial. We use tools that work seamlessly across time zones and work modes, ensuring everyone has equal access to information and decision-making processes regardless of location.
How do you decide which activities require in-person collaboration?
We prioritize in-person time for activities that benefit from real-time interaction: design sprints, onboarding, complex problem-solving, and relationship-building. Routine tasks and focused work often happen remotely.
References
Disclaimers
Business Experience: This article shares organizational experiences and hybrid work strategies. It is not professional management or HR advice. Individual results may vary based on company culture, team dynamics, and industry requirements.
Platform Information: heva is a healthcare coordination platform connecting patients with providers—we do not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Work strategies should be evaluated based on individual organizational needs and regulatory requirements.
