Remote: Office Not Required

by David Heinemeier Hansson

Your company may already be working remotely without your even knowing it. Unless it has its own lawyers on staff, it likely outsources legal work to an independent lawyer or a law firm. Unless your company has its own accounting department, it likely outsources accounting to a CPA. Unless your company has its own HR systems, it likely outsources payroll, retirement, and health care to outside firms. And what about all those companies that hire ad agencies to help communicate their message to the market? Legal, accounting, payroll, advertising—all essential business activities. Without outside people to perform these key functions you might not even be in business. All these activities are carried out outside your company’s walls, away from your company’s network, and outside of your management’s direct control—and yet there’s no doubt it’s