This document summarizes key points from the book "Remote" by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. It discusses why now is the right time for remote work given changes in technology and workstyles. It also addresses common excuses for not allowing remote work and provides strategies for hiring, managing, and being a successful remote worker. While the book makes good arguments for remote work, the document notes it could have provided better examples of how the authors manage projects remotely.

1. remote - office not
required
a review of the book by Jason Fried and David
Heinemeier Hansson
@darylhemeon

3. why should we listen to these guys?

5. sections
● the time is right
● excuses
● collaborate
● beware the dragons
● hiring and keeping the best
● managing remote workers
● life as a remote worker

6. why is the time right?
work doesn’t happen at work anymore
“super early before anyone gets in”
“I stay late after everyone is gone”
“I sneak in on the weekends”
the day is chopped into tiny bits - conference call, meeting and more meetings
thoughtful, creative work requires long stretches of interrupted time - this does
not happen in the office anymore

7. why now?
commute technology

8. ibm
since 1995
reduced office space by 78 million sq ft
58 million sold at 1.9B gain
sublease income at 1B
$100 million per year in annual savings
386,000 employees 40% telework

9. excuses

10. I need an answer now!
First you need to
recognize that not every
question needs an
answer immediately.
Hours = email
minutes = IM
hair on fire = telephone

11. hiring and keeping the best
“Given how hard it is to find
great people you should do
your utmost to keep them.
That sounds self evident, yet
plenty of companies are
willing to let their stars
disappear when life forces
them to move. That’s just
plain dumb.”
“Keeping a solid team
together for a long time is
key to peak performance.
People grow closer and
more comfortable with each
other, and subsequently do
even better work.”
-the authors of remote

12. hiring well for remote
show you the work - it is
all that matters
send them a
programming test that
is part of your real
project
you need to be able to
write well - examine the
cover letter

13. We’re going to have to have you come in on Saturday?
Which translates to will people work hard if we are not watching
them all day?

14. access to everything - remove
roadblocks

15. managing remote workers
You don’t have to hire
people that are near
your office.
Compensate as you
would anyone else.
The cost of losing
someone is 30k.

16. on motivation...

17. the tools
● everything available to everyone at all
times - the cloud
● Basecamp, GitHub, shared calendar,
Dropbox, Google Docs, Google Hangouts,
Skype, single permanent chat room for
social, access to social media

18. Life as a remote worker (image copyright directly from REMOTE)

19. when I was remote
some suggested
strategies
● separate space
● separate computer
● once a week work
somewhere else
● walk at lunch
Basketball at 5pm with
my son - or go for a
swim with my daughter
Say No to office politics
- all that matters is the
work

20. time and money
a cube charge back is
$2400 per year
setup costs $99 to $300
company pays for
internet connection
Numbers
● 654 company wide
● team 2 full time
remote
● 1 part time remote
● most of us work
remote sometimes

21. what could we do with the $$ if we gave
up our desks
● your Delivery Team could go to conference
yearly, together as a team
● fund our our FWK 3.0 project
● create a true collab work space where people
could drop in when they needed to

22. Why couldn’t we have this?

23. where does the book fall short
better examples of HOW they actually
manage their projects and with what
methodology
are they agile as they cascade down the
waterfall of death?

24. conclusion
<smart/>
<funny/>
<mostly right />
<questions? />

25. @darylhemeon
next up - a book that should change how we
manage projects, spend money and ask for
money - “the lean startup” by eric reis