Protip: If things get this far, it's the manager's fault. I've been remote before and also managed remote ICs, and you learn who needs the frequent checkins and status updates and who can be left more to their own devices. I had someone waste 2 weeks going down a useless rathole, and I learned quickly that I needed to be more involved with their prioritization and planning, and that was on me. It didn't happen again.
This. Failure of remote working is usually a problem with managers who don't/won't/can't manage remote employees effectively. If they can't manage based on results, only on "butts-in-seats" whipcracking, then they should get a time machine and travel back to a time before the internet, like in a sweatshop.
