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A review by thetarantulalounge
Remote: Office Not Required by David Heinemeier Hansson, Jason Fried
4.0
Exactly a year ago I changed jobs. I went from a conservative 9-5 workplace where business casual or suits were required to complete freedom. Anywhere with an internet connection was potentially my office. At first, this was overwhelming. I was talking to an office-less friend about it and how he dealt with always being available. He told me a story about one time having to talk with a client while on a cruise. “Instead of looking at it like I’m always on call, I look at it like I can do whatever I want and just work from my life,” he said. “I mean, I was on a cruise.”
My friend’s offhand comment planted the seed of the idea that remote work could be more than a moorless, isolated working situation. Instead, it was an opportunity to more fully embrace the things I cared about. Fried and Hansson’s Remote helps both remote workers and their bosses embrace these possibilities.
As they note, the biggest challenge is changing one’s mindset from synchronous work to asynchronous work. While they still recommend that many people have about four hours of overlap with people they need to be in contact with, they make a persuasive case that remote work (which doesn’t necessarily mean home office work, by the way) provides opportunities for deeper and more efficient output from employees. It also has the potential to create more satisfied and fulfilled employees. That’s definitely been my experience, as I can now eat meals with my family, walk the dog, run an errand, browse the library shelves, grab coffee with friends, and still get my work done, all with no commute!
The most practical tips in the book for me involved figuring out a schedule that worked for me, making sure to change clothes and have human interaction daily, to take care of my health (ergonomics, mental, exercise, nutrition), and to meet up in person with my work team at least quarterly. As previously mentioned, just getting oneself into the mindset of embracing the freedom of remote work is perhaps the most helpful thing.
I would recommend the book to any managers or people working remote. You’re bound to find at least some tidbits that will help you and your organization.
My friend’s offhand comment planted the seed of the idea that remote work could be more than a moorless, isolated working situation. Instead, it was an opportunity to more fully embrace the things I cared about. Fried and Hansson’s Remote helps both remote workers and their bosses embrace these possibilities.
As they note, the biggest challenge is changing one’s mindset from synchronous work to asynchronous work. While they still recommend that many people have about four hours of overlap with people they need to be in contact with, they make a persuasive case that remote work (which doesn’t necessarily mean home office work, by the way) provides opportunities for deeper and more efficient output from employees. It also has the potential to create more satisfied and fulfilled employees. That’s definitely been my experience, as I can now eat meals with my family, walk the dog, run an errand, browse the library shelves, grab coffee with friends, and still get my work done, all with no commute!
The most practical tips in the book for me involved figuring out a schedule that worked for me, making sure to change clothes and have human interaction daily, to take care of my health (ergonomics, mental, exercise, nutrition), and to meet up in person with my work team at least quarterly. As previously mentioned, just getting oneself into the mindset of embracing the freedom of remote work is perhaps the most helpful thing.
I would recommend the book to any managers or people working remote. You’re bound to find at least some tidbits that will help you and your organization.