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illymally's review against another edition
4.0
Seems like self evident stuff during quarantine! But unfortunately it really isn't to many, many old school thinkers who have well worn fears about remote work being ineffective. This book is a must read for all firm leaders with a remote work force, which is practically all of them right now. The benefits of carrying this wisdom into the future, post pandemic, are social, environmental, and economic. There are many practical tools in the book for some of the more difficult aspects of remote work. And it's very short and we'll organized, based around addressing common fears and hang ups, one by one.
bookanonjeff's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Hallelujah. One thing of note up front: I read the Audible version of this, so I have no way of knowing how well documented it is - and given its almost memoir-based approach, those tend to be on the lighter side of documentation. But again, because of the form I consumed this book in, I just don't know.
This caveat understood up front, this text is absolutely phenomenal - and will have any office worker in 2023 scratching their heads over why virtually *any* of us are constrained to a physical location we must report into x number of times per week. This book is a decade old this year, released *well* before certain worldwide insanities led to a (sadly temporary) shift to very nearly 100% remote work for a time, and yet lays out the case for fully remote work *even with that era's tech* so clearly and so completely that one will be left wondering why any business person would ever consider forcing their staff to work in a physical office space, unless that business person happens to own said space outright and can't offload it because everyone else is going fully remote.
For those of us who love(d) working remote, this is absolutely preaching to the choir and having them sing its praises from the rafters. Even for those more opposed to remote work... read this book and try to find a reason the authors here haven't already addressed, up to and including your own personal preferences and management styles.
Indeed, the most irritating thing about this book is how long it has existed and how few business leaders in 2023 are heeding its lessons. Particularly business leaders who spent 2020 and 2021 praising their teams' increased productivity while fully remote.
So read this book. Learn why remote work really is the best work for everyone whose jobs don't involve physically touching some widget or another. And then go and spread the message ever more.
Very much recommended.
This caveat understood up front, this text is absolutely phenomenal - and will have any office worker in 2023 scratching their heads over why virtually *any* of us are constrained to a physical location we must report into x number of times per week. This book is a decade old this year, released *well* before certain worldwide insanities led to a (sadly temporary) shift to very nearly 100% remote work for a time, and yet lays out the case for fully remote work *even with that era's tech* so clearly and so completely that one will be left wondering why any business person would ever consider forcing their staff to work in a physical office space, unless that business person happens to own said space outright and can't offload it because everyone else is going fully remote.
For those of us who love(d) working remote, this is absolutely preaching to the choir and having them sing its praises from the rafters. Even for those more opposed to remote work... read this book and try to find a reason the authors here haven't already addressed, up to and including your own personal preferences and management styles.
Indeed, the most irritating thing about this book is how long it has existed and how few business leaders in 2023 are heeding its lessons. Particularly business leaders who spent 2020 and 2021 praising their teams' increased productivity while fully remote.
So read this book. Learn why remote work really is the best work for everyone whose jobs don't involve physically touching some widget or another. And then go and spread the message ever more.
Very much recommended.
sfreund's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, I agree
Cheers!
This book is focused on... (hold your breath) working remotely. As a remote worker myself,
I agree with nearly everything the book had to say about working remotely. The illustrations were entertaining to stop and pause at between pages. I'd give the core message of the book 4/5 stars.
Where I fell off with this one was the repetition. I felt like a two-by-four and the idea of remote work was being hammed into me repeatedly. I do believe that repetition is what I need to memorize things, but in this case I found myself holding back the urge to skim because it felt like I had already read the page. If I had not ever worked remotely before, I think that this book would have been more fascinating rather than something I occasionally nod my head at. If you currently work remotely, I'd recommend skimming this one and reading the headlines that feel applicable. If you have not worked remotely, I'd say this one is worth a read.
Cheers!
noodleboy667's review against another edition
4.0
Second read through. Started a new remote working job recently, so I wanted to reset on a few things and make sure my mindset is in the right place. The books is aimed at business owners who run a remote company, but remote workers (like me) will also get a lot from it. Or perhaps you’d like to convince your boss that your team should work remotely, this book would be a great foundation for your pitch.
aferlynn's review against another edition
2.0
Lots of fluff, not much substance. More an argument "for" remote working and the objections that might arise, instead of being a tool to implement and improve remote working.
madhead's review against another edition
2.0
Boring and filled with needless details.
This book is about various companies who allow remote, not about remote working itself. Every chapter refers to a some business's success story and it takes half of the book.
This book is about various companies who allow remote, not about remote working itself. Every chapter refers to a some business's success story and it takes half of the book.
ryangoodyear's review against another edition
4.0
A good "tid-bit" read on principles for working asynchronously. Most of the big picture stuff boils down to working in a collaborative software like Basecamp (the authors' creation.) The deconstructions of common arguments against remote work were great. Overall, the authors eloquently scrutinized all the typical ways of working in the office, then showed which to eliminate, minimize, and maximize.
Gems:
P46 “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…Legal, accounting, payroll, advertising…All these activities are carried out outside your company’s walls…and outside of your management’s direct control–and yet there’s no doubt it’s all being done efficiently.
So why do so many of these same companies that trust ‘outsiders’ to do their critical work have such a hard time trusting ‘insiders’ to work from home?”
P55 “If 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.”
P65 “Being available for a one-off…must-do phone call is a small price to pay for the freedom of remote work.”
P91 have 4 hours of overlap to avoid collaboration delays and feel like a team
P95 often the easiest way to demonstrate a new feature is to record a screencast and narrate the experience
P111 “Forcing everyone into the office every day is an organizational SPoF. If the office loses power or Internet or air conditioning, it’s no longer functional as a place to do work.”
P135 “Be very available. Since you can’t meet face-to-face, you better return phone calls, emails, instant messages, etc. This is basic business stuff, but it’s tenfold more important when you’re working remotely. It may be irrational but, if you’re local, the client often feels that, if worse comes to worst, they can knock on your door. They “know where you live.” But when you’re remote, they're going to be more suspicious when phone calls go unreturned or emails keep getting lost…When they feel part of the project, their anxieties and fears will be replaced by excitement and anticipation.”
P164 “It’s a lot harder to fake your way as a remote worker. As the opportunities to schmooze in the office decrease, the focus on the work itself increases. Additionally, central online repositories for tracking tasks and reporting progress, like Basecamp, create an irrefutable paper trail showing what everyone is getting done and how long it’s taking.”
P167 “Being a good writer is an essential part of being a good remote worker. When most arguments are settled over email or chat or discussion boards, you’d better show up equipped for the task. So, as a company owner or manager, you might as well filter for this quality right from the get-go.
P170 “The best way we’ve found to accurately judge work is to hire the person to do a little work before we take the plunge and hire them to do a lot of work. Call it pre-hiring. Pre-hiring takes the form of a one or two week mini-project. We usually pay around $1500 for the mini-project. We never ask people to work for free…If the candidate is unemployed, they get a week. If they currently have a job, they get two weeks, since they usually have to carve out time at night or on the weekends to do the project.”
P173 “The prospective hire is going to be working with their teammates a lot more than their manager, so it's important that the team get a good feel for this person.”
P199 “You must make sure that people have access, by default, to everything they need. Most companies start out by adopting the reverse policy: everyone is only granted access to information and applications on a need-to-know basis. That’s completely unnecessary. Unless you work in the military, or belong to one of the very rare firms that deal with super-confidential information–information that even trusted employees can’t be trusted with–keeping those access barriers in place is just making it difficult for everyone to get their work done.
Part of the problem is the occasional pride that managers take in being Mr. or Ms. Roadblock. Having to be asked–even courted–gives them a certain perverse satisfaction. Do not discount how powerful this syndrome can be.”
P210 idea to divide day into catch-up, collaboration, and Serious Work
Gems:
P46 “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…Legal, accounting, payroll, advertising…All these activities are carried out outside your company’s walls…and outside of your management’s direct control–and yet there’s no doubt it’s all being done efficiently.
So why do so many of these same companies that trust ‘outsiders’ to do their critical work have such a hard time trusting ‘insiders’ to work from home?”
P55 “If 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.”
P65 “Being available for a one-off…must-do phone call is a small price to pay for the freedom of remote work.”
P91 have 4 hours of overlap to avoid collaboration delays and feel like a team
P95 often the easiest way to demonstrate a new feature is to record a screencast and narrate the experience
P111 “Forcing everyone into the office every day is an organizational SPoF. If the office loses power or Internet or air conditioning, it’s no longer functional as a place to do work.”
P135 “Be very available. Since you can’t meet face-to-face, you better return phone calls, emails, instant messages, etc. This is basic business stuff, but it’s tenfold more important when you’re working remotely. It may be irrational but, if you’re local, the client often feels that, if worse comes to worst, they can knock on your door. They “know where you live.” But when you’re remote, they're going to be more suspicious when phone calls go unreturned or emails keep getting lost…When they feel part of the project, their anxieties and fears will be replaced by excitement and anticipation.”
P164 “It’s a lot harder to fake your way as a remote worker. As the opportunities to schmooze in the office decrease, the focus on the work itself increases. Additionally, central online repositories for tracking tasks and reporting progress, like Basecamp, create an irrefutable paper trail showing what everyone is getting done and how long it’s taking.”
P167 “Being a good writer is an essential part of being a good remote worker. When most arguments are settled over email or chat or discussion boards, you’d better show up equipped for the task. So, as a company owner or manager, you might as well filter for this quality right from the get-go.
P170 “The best way we’ve found to accurately judge work is to hire the person to do a little work before we take the plunge and hire them to do a lot of work. Call it pre-hiring. Pre-hiring takes the form of a one or two week mini-project. We usually pay around $1500 for the mini-project. We never ask people to work for free…If the candidate is unemployed, they get a week. If they currently have a job, they get two weeks, since they usually have to carve out time at night or on the weekends to do the project.”
P173 “The prospective hire is going to be working with their teammates a lot more than their manager, so it's important that the team get a good feel for this person.”
P199 “You must make sure that people have access, by default, to everything they need. Most companies start out by adopting the reverse policy: everyone is only granted access to information and applications on a need-to-know basis. That’s completely unnecessary. Unless you work in the military, or belong to one of the very rare firms that deal with super-confidential information–information that even trusted employees can’t be trusted with–keeping those access barriers in place is just making it difficult for everyone to get their work done.
Part of the problem is the occasional pride that managers take in being Mr. or Ms. Roadblock. Having to be asked–even courted–gives them a certain perverse satisfaction. Do not discount how powerful this syndrome can be.”
P210 idea to divide day into catch-up, collaboration, and Serious Work
rachel_reece's review against another edition
4.0
Very happy to be working remotely for the Acts 29 Network!!!