Remote: Office Not Required

In this book, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share their experience of remote working. Indeed, the founders of the company 37 Signals—the publisher of project management application Basecamp—have largely encouraged teleworking in their company. Over the years, they have become convinced that this is an inevitable evolution—as well as one that is beneficial—in the business world. Staff gain in their quality of life, companies save costs, and can count on more productive and committed staff. You can add to this the opportunity to contribute to a better balance in land development, with less congested transportation and repopulated rural areas. These two business leaders don’t only make a case for telework; they also share advice on how to implement it. Through seven concise chapters, they openly share the difficulties they had to overcome: communication issues, feelings of isolation, more cumbersome collaboration, or difficulties with coaching staff members remotely. The authors reassure us: there is nothing that cannot be overcome, provided we follow their advice.

Their story might sometimes appear a bit simplistic, or difficult to implement outside of the computer services sector. The book nonetheless deserves to be consulted, as it abounds in smart ideas to improve the experience of teleworkers in a company.