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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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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 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
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
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
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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.
Хороший гайд о преимуществах и организации удаленной работы. Майндмэп по книге: http://www.mindmeister.com/ru/3927881...
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
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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.
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 is something like a manifesto for remote working, it's great in that aspect because 37signals is a perfect example of how great remote working could be; but if you're expecting a book like a manual this isn't for you.
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
Пропаганда удаленной работы. Многим айтишным компаниям подойдет. Нужны самоорганизованные профессионалы, без этого ничего не получится. Если нужно учить и организовывать людей, тогда без офиса не обойтись. Но интересная мысль про микс удаленной и офисной работы. Полдня удаленно, полдня в офисе - продуктивность растет. Сам так работаю.
Excellent reading! Waiting for the next book: The Calm Company.
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.
Feels a bit like a front end for other products of the author, but that doesn't make in any less true.
Since everything these days is about vortexes and resonance and blah... yes. As a remote worker I strongly resonated with this.
Since everything these days is about vortexes and resonance and blah... yes. As a remote worker I strongly resonated with this.
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
The book is organized in a simple way. It's a collection of articles that comment on the experiences of the authors as members of the 37signals.com company (now basecamp.com) in becoming a successful business using remote work.
Reading this book was simple and fast. The topics and the examples they made might not survive the test of time due to the constant changes in technology, but it helped me getting to know most of what's expected from a remote worker, what dangers I might find in my new wor ...more
Reading this book was simple and fast. The topics and the examples they made might not survive the test of time due to the constant changes in technology, but it helped me getting to know most of what's expected from a remote worker, what dangers I might find in my new wor ...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.
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.
Книга понравилась меньше, чем REWORK :( Много восхвалений в адрес удалённой работы, но в описании технической и организационной стороны вопроса лично для меня ничего нового. Подробная рецензия в моём блоге: http://s-kalinin.blogspot.ru/2014/03/...
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.
This was a great short read! We currently do a lot of what this book discusses but it was interesting to hear about it from a different company's perspective.
This book might have been revolutionary when it was first published but now it is common knowledge in 2018 by the time I read this book, I have used every single one of the technologies that were mentioned in the book, and many variants of them too.
This is another great book from 37 signals about how to conduct tech business with better efficiency, I have read Reword from 37 signals and it was amazing. This is also a great book, but I think I have read it in the wrong time. I should have read t ...more
This is another great book from 37 signals about how to conduct tech business with better efficiency, I have read Reword from 37 signals and it was amazing. This is also a great book, but I think I have read it in the wrong time. I should have read t ...more
I wholeheartedly agree with most of what Fried and DHH propose in their books, podcasts and tweets regarding work and conciliation. However, I always have a problem with their books in terms of how they are written. Both REWORK and REMOTE are basically a collection of short posts that basically preach to the choir, but don't quite fill all the needs I believe a good defense of their thesis should do. I understand that as founders of Basecamp (fka 37signals) many of their insights come from there
...more
Good book to understand how to adopt remote work. The authors spend a good amount of the book justifying why remote work is good, and for someone like me, who's already sold on this idea, it was a bit too much. I liked the content, it's super easy to read and feels like a blog archive (short chapters that are relate but at the same time independent).
Some software written in the book may be dated because of the last five years of developments with remote tools (no mentions of Slack and Zoom, whic ...more
Some software written in the book may be dated because of the last five years of developments with remote tools (no mentions of Slack and Zoom, whic ...more
This is a great book if you're thinking about working remotely, using remote workers or trying to convince your boss that you should be able to work remotely. It has a wealth of advice for getting started, overcoming your fears and convincing your boss.
I read it looking for ideas now that I work remotely part of the week and work with people working remotely all week. The advice on this front is not as rich. That said, the one thing I took away from this book was to be empathetic with people who ...more
I read it looking for ideas now that I work remotely part of the week and work with people working remotely all week. The advice on this front is not as rich. That said, the one thing I took away from this book was to be empathetic with people who ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| office Space | 1 | 4 | Nov 17, 2017 05:54AM | |
| why office ambience is must | 1 | 5 | 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 | 13 | 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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“Even short commutes stab at your happiness. According to the research,* commuting is associated with an increased risk of obesity, insomnia, stress, neck and back pain, high blood pressure, and other stress-related ills such as heart attacks and depression, and even divorce. But let’s say we ignore the overwhelming evidence that commuting doesn’t do a body good. Pretend it isn’t bad for the environment either. Let”
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