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Remote: Office Not Required
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The “work from home” phenomenon is thoroughly explored in this illuminating new book from bestselling 37signals founders Fried and Hansson, who point to the surging trend of employees working from home (and anywhere else) and explain the challenges and unexpected benefits. Most important, they show why – with a few controversial exceptions such as Yahoo -- more businesses
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Ben Rogers
Yes you do! It's a really great book.
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I've decided that the Freid/DHH writing pair are the Michael Moore of business literature.
If you need to learn something practical about what is a pretty complex topic, this book is useless. If you need something to fight off the "conservatives" in the business world, this is your goto.
I've two main gripes with the book.
The first is about the pacing and chapter lengths. Reading this you feel like you're being shown a second hand car in dodgy yard. You end up revisiting the nice things over and o ...more
If you need to learn something practical about what is a pretty complex topic, this book is useless. If you need something to fight off the "conservatives" in the business world, this is your goto.
I've two main gripes with the book.
The first is about the pacing and chapter lengths. Reading this you feel like you're being shown a second hand car in dodgy yard. You end up revisiting the nice things over and o ...more
This book was a little disappointing, not because it's bad but because it wasn't quite what I was looking for. The book advertises itself as a collection of solutions to problems people encounter when embracing remote work, but more than anything else the problem it solves is "how do I convince management to embrace remote work?"
Most of the book is structured as a work of persuasion, something that's intended to convince people to go remote. A lot of it seems geared toward executives and manager ...more
Most of the book is structured as a work of persuasion, something that's intended to convince people to go remote. A lot of it seems geared toward executives and manager ...more
This is a very tricky book to review.
Let me note first that I work remotely as a technology leader at a Boston-based medical startup . . . but I'm based in the Twin Cities. I know remote work very well. I use every tool in this book. I've been remote since the beginning, and my managers and colleagues understand the dynamic, but it's still hard, and not something that is fully embraced in our work.
I'm going to have to divide the readership up into categories:
(1) If you work remotely and have com ...more
Let me note first that I work remotely as a technology leader at a Boston-based medical startup . . . but I'm based in the Twin Cities. I know remote work very well. I use every tool in this book. I've been remote since the beginning, and my managers and colleagues understand the dynamic, but it's still hard, and not something that is fully embraced in our work.
I'm going to have to divide the readership up into categories:
(1) If you work remotely and have com ...more
I like 37 signals as a company. They are one of the successful virtual companies. So I had a lot of expectations when I bought the book the day it was launched. But the book was a big letdown.
* The book reads like a collection of blog posts. I felt chapters ended abruptly and switched directions unexpectedly.
* An early chapter says that remote workers can set their own working hours and all the benefits that come with it. A later chapter, about team collaboration, recommends a four hour overlap ...more
* The book reads like a collection of blog posts. I felt chapters ended abruptly and switched directions unexpectedly.
* An early chapter says that remote workers can set their own working hours and all the benefits that come with it. A later chapter, about team collaboration, recommends a four hour overlap ...more
As a remote worker myself, I nodded my head frequently at the advantages and challenges presented, so the rating's not about a fundamental disagreement with the message or the intentions. Like the authors, I know from personal experience that commuting, facing a strict set of working hours, interruptions and living with the expectation of availability from others are some of the greatest dangers to work (and creative work especially).
I did, however, expect more than short chapters and sparse dat ...more
I did, however, expect more than short chapters and sparse dat ...more
This had some good insights on why remote working can be good and how to be a good remote worker. Nothing beyond common sense really but it’s nice to see it condensed in a brief and informative book.
I read this book in one sitting. I liked it, but I could not quite figure out the audience. As someone who has worked as a remote employee for over 7 years, a lot of the information was preaching to the choir - I get remote work, because I live it. If the book was written for managers who are looking to make a change, then I don't this book is strong or practical enough (a better book would be Why Managing Sucks). If this book is written for non-managing employees, then they more than likely don
...more
Thin, short-paragraphed, biased, opinionated, beautifully written and illustrated remote work manifesto and a sales pitch. Every copyrighter should be jealous.
“Remote” shares the advantages and the problems of the advertisement as a literary form.
If you don't have much experience with remote working or you let your mind wander for a bit, the book is extremely
convincing. DHH/Fried know how to write well.
If you look deeper, you may notice that they offer faux acknowledgements for all the drawbacks ...more
“Remote” shares the advantages and the problems of the advertisement as a literary form.
If you don't have much experience with remote working or you let your mind wander for a bit, the book is extremely
convincing. DHH/Fried know how to write well.
If you look deeper, you may notice that they offer faux acknowledgements for all the drawbacks ...more
Jul 31, 2016
Rework was an amazing book that put into words how I feel about work.
Remote was different. While I agree that remote work can be effective, I disagreed with several of the sections.
First off, I work for Accenture, one of the companies interviewed and quoted in the book. The description of Accenture in the book in no way matches what happens in real life. Do 80% of the people not work in the Accenture offices? Yes. Because they are required to be on-site, butt in seat, logging face ti ...more
Rework was an amazing book that put into words how I feel about work.
Remote was different. While I agree that remote work can be effective, I disagreed with several of the sections.
First off, I work for Accenture, one of the companies interviewed and quoted in the book. The description of Accenture in the book in no way matches what happens in real life. Do 80% of the people not work in the Accenture offices? Yes. Because they are required to be on-site, butt in seat, logging face ti ...more
The interesting part of reading this book is that I'm currently living most part of it in the past 2 years. :)
The book itself is a little bit outdated as it was written in 2013 and we had a very different scenario then. They mention it in the first chapter, BTW.
I found it to be a little repetitive as well, they are not very pragmatic about the content and decided to mention things over and over again so you can open the book in any particular chapter and use it as reference (at least that's what ...more
The book itself is a little bit outdated as it was written in 2013 and we had a very different scenario then. They mention it in the first chapter, BTW.
I found it to be a little repetitive as well, they are not very pragmatic about the content and decided to mention things over and over again so you can open the book in any particular chapter and use it as reference (at least that's what ...more
I loved learning about how this company made it work. Lots of overlap to experiences I have had / am having here at work. The no "jerks" allowed rule really resonates with me.
Great book. A compreenhensive review of the pros and cons of remote work, addressing some of the miths about working out of traditional offices. The only thing I would point out is that it needs to be understood in a skilled work environment. While I believe that most people deserve the benefit of the doubt, I think the authors are sometimes a bit naive in their assessment of people's commitment ti their work. All in all a great read and a must for managers. A lot of us are already working remot
...more
As a remote worker, I felt very connected with the stories in this book. TBH, I was already familar with most of the recommendations, because I have been working remotely for a year, but that's actually a good thing, because it means that we're all on the same channel and there's a common path to success for remote workers.
I really liked it. I would have given 5 stars if I had learned many new tricks or recommendations that I didn't know before.
I really liked it. I would have given 5 stars if I had learned many new tricks or recommendations that I didn't know before.
Very objective book, direct to the point!
They are very experienced in remote work so the could discuss the problems of working at an office (transportation, interruptions, commuting, etc.) and present the benefits of remote working as well as what you should be careful when trying to change to remote working.
Lot's of good advice.
They are very experienced in remote work so the could discuss the problems of working at an office (transportation, interruptions, commuting, etc.) and present the benefits of remote working as well as what you should be careful when trying to change to remote working.
Lot's of good advice.
A very good book with practical tips and a clear message: Value work produced over time spent.
Unfortunately it only focuses on hiring ready made experts and ignores the process of talent growth. To me pairing and working with others side by side is the most effecient way to both learn and teach. Remote doesn't mention any substitute to that.
Unfortunately it only focuses on hiring ready made experts and ignores the process of talent growth. To me pairing and working with others side by side is the most effecient way to both learn and teach. Remote doesn't mention any substitute to that.
I loved everything about it. The book encompasses, so much truth about the upside and downsides to working from home. I believe is shows the best possibilities of the remote style of work. I suggested it to a minimum of 10 people I know who have been thinking about starting a remote platform at their company.
This book made me realize that we are losing a lot while trying to work in the same office.
--- MY CLIPPINGS---
A world where we leave behind the dusty old notion of outsourcing as a way to increase work output at the lowest cost and replace it with a new ideal—one in which remote work increases both quality of work and job satisfaction.
---
The city is the original talent hub. Traditionally, those who ran the engines of capitalism thought: “Let’s gather a large number of people in a small geographi ...more
--- MY CLIPPINGS---
A world where we leave behind the dusty old notion of outsourcing as a way to increase work output at the lowest cost and replace it with a new ideal—one in which remote work increases both quality of work and job satisfaction.
---
The city is the original talent hub. Traditionally, those who ran the engines of capitalism thought: “Let’s gather a large number of people in a small geographi ...more
I've enjoyed listening to this book, but I feel that the way the subject is presented by the author is a little bit incisive, this was already expected from something that comes from DHH, so nothing new here.
I've liked the format of little chapters and no defined order of the subjects, but I think that this turned the tips repetitive too.
I like the way DHH covers all the things about remote work, talking from how this change your business, culture, and mindset about work, to things like how to s ...more
I've liked the format of little chapters and no defined order of the subjects, but I think that this turned the tips repetitive too.
I like the way DHH covers all the things about remote work, talking from how this change your business, culture, and mindset about work, to things like how to s ...more
This is a good book if your expectations are set right.
I'm giving it an extra star because this is exactly the perfect length all books in the categories of management, self-help & co. need to follow. Short blog post like chapters where you make your point and move on and less than 100 pages in-toto always. (I have an hypothesis that every management book could be an HBR article, but publishers pay more than HBR so they get milked into a book. But that's another story...)
I breezed through it in ...more
I'm giving it an extra star because this is exactly the perfect length all books in the categories of management, self-help & co. need to follow. Short blog post like chapters where you make your point and move on and less than 100 pages in-toto always. (I have an hypothesis that every management book could be an HBR article, but publishers pay more than HBR so they get milked into a book. But that's another story...)
I breezed through it in ...more
I've had this book lying around for a couple years. I'm about to start a new position which allows remote work, and figured it was time to read this.
I liked that it was a short book, and the writing was clear. I was able to finish this book in just a few short sessions. However, I don't think I really got anything out of reading this. It was mostly directed towards convincing business owners that they should explore allowing employees to work remotely, and most of the content seemed long-winded ...more
I liked that it was a short book, and the writing was clear. I was able to finish this book in just a few short sessions. However, I don't think I really got anything out of reading this. It was mostly directed towards convincing business owners that they should explore allowing employees to work remotely, and most of the content seemed long-winded ...more
Excellent reading! Waiting for the next book: The Calm Company.
Well. Its 2020. This book was published 2013? So todays remote is not the same as it is described in the book. It had its moments, but I rather recommend The Art of Working Remotely or The Long-Distance Leader instead. Mote untimely stuff (and more to my liking - towards leadership).
It's released in 2013 and many things are change, also the remote culture itself is. Some of the do and don't will be really useful if someone start picking as remote employee or skim the overviews of culture as a whole. But compared to rework, It's lighter, less of as a manifesto not to mention some points are overlapped.
There are many a-ha! moments in this book and it seems the current times have made it even more relevant. Recommend it to everyone, especially managers.
This rating reflects more of my expectations from this book than the content itself. If you are not sure remote work would be viable for you or your company this book does a good job presenting information that might help you make a decision. If you already know that remote work is a good fit for you then this book won't provide you with too many extra insights or actionable advice.
I helped write a remote working policy for a very large company twenty years ago. This repeats some of the same issues we addressed in our policy. But Remote felt like it was written for small companies that worked on computer programs. A large percentage of the examples were from such small companies. (One example - I didn't notice office politics being described, and that can have a large impact on careers, and remote workers need to understand how to deal with this in new ways. Another exampl
...more
REMOTE was such a fantastic read. It explains really well the benefits of remote work and also addresses with real paradigms the concerns that people have about this type of work. As the author says remote work is the future and can help people be more productive and have other benefits as well all explained through paradigms.
I was a huge fan of remote work but after reading this book I’m a bigger fan of it and also learned a couple of tricks to adopt in my daily life working like that.
I was a huge fan of remote work but after reading this book I’m a bigger fan of it and also learned a couple of tricks to adopt in my daily life working like that.
This overlaps in some parts with other books of the author. This includes some fine tips and anecdotes regrading intricacies of remote work.
Also conveying that they are cool doing whatever they do, super cool almost, with extra points on how to get as cool them, and the fact that it might not work for most people.
Also conveying that they are cool doing whatever they do, super cool almost, with extra points on how to get as cool them, and the fact that it might not work for most people.
I enjoyed the book overall. Having worked remotely from my home and in our Chennai office, nothing they had to say was really ground breaking for me, but if your just starting to explore the idea of working remotely, it's a great guide.
Good overview for this newly-remote worker. Preaches to the choir a lot. Leaves me wanting more.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| office Space | 1 | 5 | Nov 17, 2017 05:54AM | |
| why office ambience is must | 1 | 6 | Sep 21, 2017 08:04AM | |
| Goodreads Developers: only first author of book being returned | 1 | 19 | Jan 31, 2017 03:25AM | |
| FULL Creative Lib...: Remote | 2 | 14 | Mar 05, 2014 03:59PM |
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“Security is a big and serious deal, but it’s also largely a solved problem. That’s why the average person is quite willing to do their banking online and why nobody is afraid of entering their credit card number on Amazon. At 37signals, we’ve devised a simple security checklist all employees must follow: 1. All computers must use hard drive encryption, like the built-in FileVault feature in Apple’s OS X operating system. This ensures that a lost laptop is merely an inconvenience and an insurance claim, not a company-wide emergency and a scramble to change passwords and worry about what documents might be leaked. 2. Disable automatic login, require a password when waking from sleep, and set the computer to automatically lock after ten inactive minutes. 3. Turn on encryption for all sites you visit, especially critical services like Gmail. These days all sites use something called HTTPS or SSL. Look for the little lock icon in front of the Internet address. (We forced all 37signals products onto SSL a few years back to help with this.) 4. Make sure all smartphones and tablets use lock codes and can be wiped remotely. On the iPhone, you can do this through the “Find iPhone” application. This rule is easily forgotten as we tend to think of these tools as something for the home, but inevitably you’ll check your work email or log into Basecamp using your tablet. A smartphone or tablet needs to be treated with as much respect as your laptop. 5. Use a unique, generated, long-form password for each site you visit, kept by password-managing software, such as 1Password.§ We’re sorry to say, “secretmonkey” is not going to fool anyone. And even if you manage to remember UM6vDjwidQE9C28Z, it’s no good if it’s used on every site and one of them is hacked. (It happens all the time!) 6. Turn on two-factor authentication when using Gmail, so you can’t log in without having access to your cell phone for a login code (this means that someone who gets hold of your login and password also needs to get hold of your phone to login). And keep in mind: if your email security fails, all other online services will fail too, since an intruder can use the “password reset” from any other site to have a new password sent to the email account they now have access to. Creating security protocols and algorithms is the computer equivalent of rocket science, but taking advantage of them isn’t. Take the time to learn the basics and they’ll cease being scary voodoo that you can’t trust. These days, security for your devices is just simple good sense, like putting on your seat belt.”
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“you can’t let your employees work from home out of fear they’ll slack off without your supervision, you’re a babysitter, not a manager. Remote work is very likely the least of your problems.”
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