Remote

By: Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson

Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman

Length: 3 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

The "work-from-home" phenomenon is thoroughly explored in this illuminating new audiobook from best-selling 37signals founders Fried and Hansson, who point to the surging trend of employees working from home (and anywhere else) and explain the challenges and unexpected benefits. Most important, they show why - with a few controversial exceptions such as Yahoo - more businesses will want to promote this new model of getting things done.

The Industrial Revolution's "under one roof" model of conducting work is steadily declining owing to technology that is rapidly creating virtual workspaces and allowing workers to provide their vital contribution without physically clustering together. Today, the new paradigm is "move work to the workers, rather than workers to the workplace." According to Reuters, one in five global workers telecommutes frequently and nearly ten percent work from home every day. Moms in particular will welcome this trend. A full 60% wish they had a flexible work option. But companies see advantages, too, in the way remote work increases their talent pool, reduces turnover, lessens their real estate footprint, and improves the ability to conduct business across multiple time zones, to name just a few advantages. In Remote, iconoclastic authors Fried and Hansson will convince listeners that letting all or part of work teams function remotely is a great idea - and they're going to show precisely how a remote work setup can be accomplished.

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

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.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

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.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

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.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

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.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

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

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

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.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

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.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

great for starting remotely <br />

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

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Concise and informative book!

Concise, informative, narrated well and full of good arguments in support of remote work. Recommended especially to those who still believe offices are the way forward.

Repetitive and promotional

Remote working is a hot topic, there are some helpful bits in the book However it mostly feels repetitive after first chapters. Most examples are from their own company that is the founder of Basecamp. So the book also feels like the promotion of the Basecamp product.

Great book with interesting facts and tips

Great narration and content. A must for employees and employers to explore remote. Highly recommend!!

Great tips for remote working

Working from expensive offices is dying... rapidly. 'Remote' is a practical, no-holds-barred guide to managing your team from remote locations. Read-worthy for 21st century business owners.

Debate ammunition!

This is a great, well structured summary of Remote work; its detractors, supporters and its overwhelming benefits. I think it's fair critique to say some of this is obvious, but that's because the world is becoming more aware of telecommuting as a concept. I still rate this as worth the investment because it is clear and concise. It prepares the reader to confidently discuss Remoting in their organisation. Comprehensively addressing each excuse or pitfall that might come up in a debate.

A whistle stop tour of working remotely

A great book for people new to remote work as well as those already doing it. It's full of great tips on how to work better remotely. It's doesn't just tell you what you should be doing, but why, and when it might not apply to you, and how to work out your own path to remote work. This is going on our team recommended reading list.

Fantastic book, really recommend this!

If you could sum up Remote in three words, what would they be?

Prefect for the MOL / mobile office worker!

What about Rebecca Lowman’s performance did you like?

Very easy to listen to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wanted to but it took me a few listens.

Any additional comments?

Awesome! The workforce is changing and working mobile is coming in more and more. This is a book that ties all the ideas in and makes them easy to understand. Great book, thanks!

Dissapointing... Not sure what I was hoping for

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

Reasons why working remotely can be a good thing... very shallow.... not worth a book. My own fault. What was I hoping to gain from this? I read a book by these guys about startups a few years ago and it was really great, can't think of the title. Anyway, I wouldn't bother with Remote if I were you.

Short but very good

Shorter than most audio books I listen too but had some very useful advice for the company I work for. I'll be revisiting some of the chapters to make notes. And useful not just for employers or managers but also employees working remotely. Very good narration made the story flow well.

It's ok. But mostly general knowledge now

I think when this was first written it could have seemed new. After taking time to read it there is almost nothing to learn that you wouldn't not know from freelancing already.

For managers or people unfamiliar it's more of a case study. Some more felt learning and pains would have been nice.