Remote - Office Not Required

2019-02-15

“Remote: Office Not Required” by Jason Fried and David Hansson

My Summary

• remote work is a viable option for today’s workplace; you need a culture of trust and work-meritocracy
• people don’t “go to work” to get work done
• successful remote work requires company/worker intentionality, high personal responsibility, proper communication (not too much, not too little, just right), proper boundaries/scheduling
• if an employee, remote or not, isn’t inspired, fulfilled, or excited about what they are doing, then distractions are more likely to take hold wherever they are — you shouldn’t be anymore concerned that a remote employee is slacking; if their work is getting done and they are pumped about their position and the role makes sense, then there shouldn’t be any disconnect

My Notes

• remote working is now feasible with tech and practical because offices are not the best places to “get stuff done” and commutes are bad for your health, time, and well-being
• remote work doesn’t need the 9am-5pm; it’s need moments of collaboration, but ultimately gives employees the freedom and responsibility to do work on their own terms wherever is best (ideally w/ a personalized, ergonomically-designed desk); it also supports keeping great employees through life change that has nothing to do with the job (getting married, wanting warmer weather, being close to family)
• remote work is built on trust and assumes you hire people capable of managing their own schedule and being a professional — if that isn’t possible, then find other people to work with
• remote work exposes bad practices of “people management” because it is work-centric; managers have to know the technical details and what “good work” looks like — you can’t get by with “chair managers”
• if an employee, remote or not, isn’t inspired, fulfilled, or excited about what they are doing, then distractions are more likely to take hold wherever they are — you shouldn’t be anymore concerned that a remote employee is slacking; if their work is getting done and they are pumped about their position and the role makes sense, then there shouldn’t be any disconnect
• working remote requires letting go of the “ASAP mindset”: if something is an emergency, then it would merit an immediate response, but for other questions, use the appropriate medium — ex: send an email for questions that don’t need immediate answers; set boundaries for yourself and how others ask non-emergency questions and when the expect responses
• if you need evidence of remotes effectiveness, look no further than open source software
• recommendations
  • remote workers should have 4 hours of overlap in their workdays for communication needs, make access available on all systems/processes by default, and use screen sharing or video recordings to explain work (don’t worry about videos being perfect)
  • use a shared board/snippet for cohesion — a place where people can post to the whole company what they’ve worked on for the week (or some interval)
  • be easy on the M&M’s: meetings and management should be used sparingly. period.
  • occasional meetups and in-person sprints are great ways to bring the remote team together
  • take care of yourself! stay healthy! (with the time you’ll save on commutes)
  • if you are adopting this for the first time, test it with a whole team and test if for at least a quarter
  • communication with clients and teams is paramount for remote work — only hire those with strong written and spoken communication
  • avoid people with tempers and butthole behavior — remote works best when you have people who make it a priority to make sure everyone is okay and on the same page — otherwise small virtual misunderstandings will become huge, show-stopping ordeals
  • hire based on real work — real examples in the past, or those produced during an interview or pre-hire contractor/vetting period — and pay using top market salaries regardless of worker’s location
  • authors recommend that when hiring remote workers, you vet final candidates in person to make sure they are people you’d want to continue working with for an extended period
  • make remote workers a priority and don’t have crappy collaboration software; make sure they have the ability to contribute during meetings
• mechanisms to avoid overwork
  • set a schedule and routine
  • separate work and home devices to maintain separation
  • get in flow as a stranger in a crowd (ex: coffee shop)
  • change up the scenery
  • spend time w/ loved ones
  • check-in w/ employees if you notice that progress or momentum is slowing — it could be that the employee is having a hard time getting motivated… if so, figure out how to get them back on track
• remote worker toolbox
  • Basecamp (shameless plug)
  • Webex, GoToMeeting, JoinMe
  • Know Your Team
  • Skype
  • Slack
  • Google Hangouts
  • Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive
  • co-working spaces, coffee shops