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Remote  By  cover art

Remote

By: Jason Fried,David Heinemeier Hansson
Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
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Publisher's summary

The classic guide to working from home and why we should embrace a virtual office, from the bestselling authors of Rework “A paradigm-smashing, compulsively readable case for a radically remote workplace.”—Susan Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Quiet

Does working from home—or anywhere else but the office—make sense? In Remote, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the founders of Basecamp, bring new insight to the hotly debated argument. While providing a complete overview of remote work’s challenges, Jason and David persuasively argue that, often, the advantages of working “off-site” far outweigh the drawbacks. In the past decade, the “under one roof” model of conducting work has been steadily declining, owing to technology that is rapidly creating virtual workspaces. Today the new paradigm is “move work to the workers, rather than workers to the workplace.” Companies see advantages in the way remote work increases their talent pool, reduces turnover, lessens their real estate footprint, and improves their ability to conduct business across multiple time zones. But what about the workers? Jason and David point out that remote work means working at the best job (not just one that is nearby) and achieving a harmonious work-life balance while increasing productivity. And those are just some of the perks to be gained from leaving the office behind. Remote reveals a multitude of other benefits, along with in-the-trenches tips for easing your way out of the office door where you control how your workday will unfold. Whether you’re a manager fretting over how to manage workers who “want out” or a worker who wants to achieve a lifestyle upgrade while still being a top performer professionally, this book is your indispensable guide.

©2013 Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Remote is the book that twenty-first century business leaders have been waiting for: a paradigm-smashing, compulsively readable case for a radically remote workplace. If you're intrigued by extreme teleworking, but have your doubts, Remote is the place to address them. Not a day goes by that I don't think about, talk about, and actually apply the insights in this game-changing book." (Susan Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Quiet)

“Remote is the way I work and live. Now I know why. If you work in an office, you need to read this remarkable book, and change your life.” (Richard Florida, author of the national bestseller The Rise of the Creative Class)

"What you'll find in Remote is profound advice from guys who've succeeded in the virtual workforce arena. This is a manifesto for discarding stifling location- and time-based organizational habits in favor of best work practices for our brave new virtual and global world. If your organization entrusts you with the responsibility to get things done, this is a must-read.” (David Allen, internationally bestselling author of Getting Things Done)

What listeners say about Remote

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Not useful if you're already working remotely.

This helps you to understand how it's like to work remotely, and very few tips on how to improve your remote work.

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12 people found this helpful

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Enjoyed Rework but this book was a disappointment

I feel that this didn't answer all my questions about the subject and the problems that they mentioned have many solutions and not just using remote workers. There was also a lot of sarcasm where I believe that the solution should stand on its own without needing to break down other views. I am for remote work but this book hasn't covered the subject as extensively as I would have liked.

I really enjoyed the book called Rework by the same authors and after listening to it I wanted to know more about employees working remotely and was excited to find this book but was very disappointed.

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7 people found this helpful

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Fantastic, Futuristic, Frustrating

What made the experience of listening to Remote the most enjoyable?

Fried and Hansson's borderline-indignant disregard for corporate and professional norms is well-documented both in their previous book and on the 37Singals blog. In a culture chained by institutionalization and (mostly) very slow to adapt to change, their willingness to question every single aspect of professional life and take risks are both inspiring and frustrating to those of us still chained to our desks, dreading commutes and struggling to fight the devastating consequences of interminable meetings.

The wide range of examples and possibilities they present – both from their own experience and from other organizations of every all sizes – aggregate to more of a framework or platform than set of instructions. Essentially, they argue that there is room for some level of remote work in almost every knowledge-based industry and that testing and implementing it has potential to make a very real impact both on productivity and the company's bottom line.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Remote?

More memorable than any single moment in the book is the general perspective Fried and Hansson provide on management. Their belief in the creativity and drive of their own employees, leveraged by their willingness to trust them and bolstered by their relentless investment in their well-being, is at first jarring and then awe-inspiring.

What does Rebecca Lowman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Typically, non-fiction books read by narrators other than the author lose a bit of author's quality of tone, but Lowman expertly managed to preserve it.

There's a moment very near the end of the book, in which she is rattling of an absurd URL string, that her voice takes a very distinct "we're both aware this is ridiculous, right?" tone that, for whatever reason, had me doubled over with laughter. Literally. Like, I had to stop the treadmill.

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6 people found this helpful

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Pros of working from home

Would you consider the audio edition of Remote to be better than the print version?

Audio and paper(digital) version basically offers the same...

What was one of the most memorable moments of Remote?

I liked that this is by someone who practices rather than simply preach.

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5 people found this helpful

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I've been working remotely for over 15 years

It's great to know that it is a trend that is coming of age. This book is a good primer for anyone considering remote work.

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4 people found this helpful

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Excellent and thought provoking

The content is really excellent - if you have any interest in business in the future this is a foundation to provide thoughts or give step-by-step guide
A great book for everyone from CEO to Intern, from entrepreneur to long term corporate

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3 people found this helpful

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Best for those considering remote work

I was hoping to get more strategy and navigating obstacles once remote work was in play. The book seemed more centered on why you should consider or convince your boss to go remote.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

great for starting remotely

love it! it helped me a lot negotiation what my current employer to transient to remote work

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1 person found this helpful

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A must read for those interested in remote work

Engaging and informative audiobook backed by supporting evidence/examples from established companies. It answered most questions I had about how to implement remote work.

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great intro to remote working concepts

if you have been rote working for awhile this all should be default operation in function for you, but if you are a new comer this is the starting manual.

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