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A review by bookanonjeff
Remote: Office Not Required by David Heinemeier Hansson
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.