Remote: Office Not Required (Book Overview)

Are you thinking of taking your company remote? Are you a remote worker looking to be more productive? What are the most common myths around remote work?

In Remote: Office Not Required, tech entrepreneurs Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson present a case for work without physical boundaries. Drawing from their experience building Basecamp, they dismantle office-centric assumptions and show how remote work can lead to better productivity, greater access to talent, and improved work-life balance.

Whether you’re a leader considering remote options for your workplace or an employee hoping to work more flexibly, here’s an overview of Remote.

Overview of Remote

In Remote: Office Not Required (2013), Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson present their vision for the future of work: one where a person’s physical location has no effect on how productive they can be. The book challenges the traditional office-centric model of work by exposing its fundamental flaws—constant distractions that hinder meaningful work, time wasted on commutes, and arbitrary geographic limitations on talent acquisition.

As founders of the software company 37signals (now Basecamp), Fried and Hansson successfully built and led a team of 36 employees distributed across multiple continents while serving millions of users. In their book, they distill over a decade of their experience implementing remote work strategies. They’ve also coauthored three other books on their unconventional approach to work: Rework, It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, and Getting Real.

Our guide examines three key aspects of their framework: First, we explore what remote work is and why organizations should embrace it. Next, we address common objections to remote work and how to overcome them. Finally, we examine how both teams and individuals can thrive in a remote environment. Throughout, we make Fried and Hansson’s principles more accessible and actionable while connecting them to other contexts—from how Wes Anderson’s pandemic film production offers lessons for remote team assembly, to why whale researchers have built the world’s most successful distributed community, to what astronauts on the International Space Station can teach us about creating boundaries when work and life share the same space.

What Is Remote Work and Why Is It Valuable?

Remote work fundamentally changes how and where you contribute to your organization. Fried and Hansson explain that rather than commuting to a central office, you can work from anywhere—decoupling your location from your productivity. This makes it possible for teams to spread across cities, countries, or even continents while still working together effectively. This shift is powered by technology that bridges the distance between team members. Video calls, screen sharing, project management apps, and cloud storage let you interact in real time or collaborate on your own schedule. These tools have made remote work viable for many knowledge-based jobs that once required everyone to be in the same physical space.

Remote work comes in many forms. Fried and Hansson write that some companies have fully distributed operations with no central office at all, while others use hybrid models where employees might split their time between home and office. Some remote workers embrace the “digital nomad” lifestyle and travel constantly, while others simply work from their home office in the same city as their company’s headquarters. What connects all these approaches is the freedom from having to be physically present in a traditional office—instead, the focus shifts to what you produce, no matter where in the world you happen to be.

Why Remote Work Makes Sense for Many Organizations

Traditional offices can make it surprisingly difficult to get meaningful work done. Fried and Hansson point out that constant meetings, unexpected conversations, and other distractions break up your day, making it hard to achieve the deep focus you need for complex tasks. Remote work solves this problem by letting you work with fewer interruptions in an environment that suits your personal productivity style. 

Fried and Hansson argue that beyond the core benefit of enabling greater focus, remote work offers several compelling advantages.

You Can Hire Talented People No Matter Where They Live

When your team works remotely, geography no longer limits your hiring options. This dramatically expands your talent pool. Fried and Hansson explain that organizations with remote workforces can recruit the best candidates for open positions regardless of where they live, increasing their chances of finding perfect matches even for specialized roles. If you restrict yourself to hiring people who can work in your physical office, you’re limiting access to skilled professionals who might be ideal for your team but can’t relocate to your city.

Your Team Can Be More Productive

Research cited by Fried and Hansson shows that remote workers often accomplish more than their office-bound colleagues. Without the distractions of a busy office, people can focus more deeply on important tasks. Plus, remote work lets each person align their schedule with their natural productivity rhythms instead of forcing everyone into the same 9-to-5 mold. By giving your team the flexibility to work during their personal peak hours, you’ll likely see better results across the board.

You’ll Save Money on Office Space

Going remote reduces or eliminates the need for expensive office space and all its associated costs—utilities, furniture, maintenance, and more. These savings can be substantial, especially if your organization is based in a location with high commercial real estate prices. Fried and Hansson suggest redirecting these funds to other priorities or enhancing employee compensation, which can help you attract and retain top talent in your industry.

Your Team Will Enjoy Better Work-Life Balance

Fried and Hansson note that without stressful daily commutes, your team regains hours each day for personal priorities. This improved work-life balance leads to higher job satisfaction, reduced stress, and greater overall well-being. Remote work also helps people better integrate their professional responsibilities with their personal lives—whether that means being present for family, maintaining their health, or participating in their local community.

You’ll Reduce Your Environmental Impact

The authors say that remote work contributes to environmental sustainability by cutting carbon emissions from daily commutes and office building operations. With fewer people traveling to central locations each day, traffic congestion decreases and your organization’s carbon footprint shrinks. This aligns with society’s growing environmental consciousness and makes your operations greener without requiring special initiatives.

You’ll Foster Greater Autonomy and Engagement

Perhaps most significantly, remote work shifts the focus from monitoring where people are to evaluating what they accomplish. This results-oriented approach gives your team more control over how they structure their work, increasing their engagement and sense of ownership. Fried and Hansson explain that this trust-based model typically yields higher-quality work and greater job satisfaction, creating a positive cycle of autonomy and achievement.

How Can You Overcome Common Objections to Remote Work?

Despite the benefits, you might face resistance when proposing remote work in your organization. People often have deep-seated beliefs about how work “should” be done. Fried and Hansson argue that most come from outdated assumptions that don’t hold up against evidence and practical experience. By addressing these common concerns with practical solutions rather than dismissing them, you can help your organization move past resistance and embrace the benefits of remote work.

“But What About Our Company Culture?”

A key concern is that remote work will erode company culture. It assumes that culture grows mainly through physical proximity and spontaneous conversations by the coffee machine. However, Fried and Hansson challenge this assumption, pointing out that plenty of in-office cultures aren’t particularly strong, even with everyone spending 40+ hours a week in the same building. That’s because real culture comes from your organization’s values and practices, and how people interact—not just from sharing an office.

Remote culture feels different, but it can be just as strong or even stronger when you nurture it intentionally. The authors recommend several approaches:

• Clearly define and frequently reinforce your company values in communications and decisions.
• Create dedicated virtual spaces for both work discussions and casual conversations.
• Establish meaningful traditions that connect your team, like virtual celebrations or occasional in-person gatherings.
• Show (don’t just tell) what healthy communication looks like by modeling it yourself.

“People Will Just Watch Netflix All Day!”

This objection reveals a fundamental distrust of employees, according to the authors. It assumes that without someone watching them, people will slack off instead of working. Fried and Hansson say this view underestimates most professionals’ integrity and ability to manage their own work. If you can’t trust your team to work without constant supervision, the problem isn’t remote work—it’s either who you’ve hired or how you’re managing them. 

Fried and Hansson’s solution isn’t more monitoring software or check-ins. Instead, focus on hiring self-motivated people and shift from tracking activity (like hours logged) to evaluating results. With this approach, they say you’ll build a remote team that likely outperforms your previous office-based operation.

The authors point out that remote work often boosts productivity by:

• Eliminating the interruptions that plague physical offices
• Reducing time wasted in meetings that could have been emails
• Letting people work during their personal peak hours of focus and creativity
• Creating stronger motivation for efficient work, since results—not presence—determine success

“It Sounds Complicated, Legally and Logistically”

Some leaders worry about navigating different tax jurisdictions, dealing with equipment, or coordinating across time zones. Fried and Hansson acknowledge these challenges but insist they’re manageable. For tax and legal matters, you don’t need to become an expert yourself. Consider consulting with specialists in international employment law and taxation, and establish clear policies about work locations and responsibilities. Many companies successfully navigate these waters.

Time zone differences require thoughtful communication practices, which we’ll explore in more detail later in this guide. The key is creating systems that work asynchronously when needed while still providing opportunities for real-time collaboration.

“Remote Workers Will Get Overlooked”

There’s legitimate concern that remote employees might suffer from being “out of sight, out of mind” when it comes to promotions and important projects. Fried and Hansson acknowledge this risk but offer solutions to prevent it. The key is maintaining open communication channels and evaluating everyone based on their work’s quality and impact—which actually becomes more visible, not less, when documented using digital tools. Remote work can create more equal opportunities by:

• Making everyone’s contributions visible through digital documentation that the whole team can access
• Reducing the unfair advantage that often goes to those who spend more face time with managers
• Creating a level playing field where actual results matter more than personality or presence
• Providing objective records of performance that help reduce unconscious favoritism

How Can You and Your Team Thrive When Working Remotely?

Even when everyone agrees that work doesn’t need to happen in a central office, successfully implementing remote work requires thoughtful planning. Fried and Hansson offer guidance for organizations transitioning to remote work and for individuals adapting to this different way of working.

Setting Your Organization Up for Remote Success

Shifting to remote work means rethinking how your team operates. Fried and Hansson highlight three critical areas to address: how you communicate, how you build culture, and who you hire.

Create Communication Systems That Actually Work

In an office, communication often happens naturally when you bump into someone in the hallway. In remote environments, you need to be more intentional about how your team shares information:

• Design channels with clear purposes. Specify which platforms you’ll use for different types of communication—project discussions, company announcements, casual chats—and set clear expectations about response times for each.
• Balance real-time and asynchronous communication. Mix video meetings and instant messaging with collaborative documents and project management tools. This combination supports different work styles and makes collaboration possible across time zones.
• Make documentation a habit, not an afterthought. Record decisions, discussions, and progress in shared spaces everyone can access. Good documentation keeps your entire team informed and creates valuable reference materials for current and future team members.
• Find your collaboration sweet spot. Establish core hours when everyone should be available for meetings and quick questions, while still giving people flexibility around these shared windows.

Build a Remote-Friendly Culture

Strong culture doesn’t just happen—especially in remote teams. Fried and Hansson suggest focusing on doing the following:

• Measure what matters. Shift from tracking hours to evaluating outcomes. This builds trust and focuses attention on quality work rather than desk time.
• Provide the right tools. Equip your remote team with the technology, connectivity, and ergonomic support they need. These investments cost less than maintaining office space while showing your commitment to your workers’ success.
• Create in-person moments. Schedule occasional gatherings for relationship-building and collaborative planning to complement your day-to-day remote work.
• Celebrate wins consistently. Develop regular ways to recognize achievements and celebrate successes. This reinforces your values and maintains team spirit when people aren’t physically together.

Hire People Who Will Thrive Remotely

Finding the right people makes all the difference in remote teams. Fried and Hansson recommend evaluating the following when hiring:

• Communication skills, especially in writing. Look for clarity, thoughtfulness, and efficiency in candidates’ writing, since most remote collaboration happens through text. Review their application materials and consider giving writing-based assignments during the hiring process.
• Self-direction. Seek people with the proven ability to work independently, prioritize effectively, and stay motivated without constant oversight. Previous remote work experience can be a plus, though it shouldn’t be a requirement.
• Cultural alignment. Use behavioral interviews and trial projects to assess how well candidates match your team’s values and work style, ensuring they’ll fit your specific remote environment.

Thriving as a Remote Worker

If you’re working remotely, you’ll need intentional practices to maintain productivity, well-being, and connection. Fried and Hansson offer guidance in three key areas.

Create Boundaries Between Work and Personal Life

Without the physical separation of an office, you need to create your own frameworks:

• Designate a workspace. Set up a specific area used exclusively for work to create mental boundaries. Avoid regularly working from places associated with relaxation like your couch or bed, as this blurs important distinctions between work and rest.
• Find your personal schedule. Develop regular working hours that align with when you naturally do your best work. The beauty of remote work is that you’re not forced into a one-size-fits-all 9-to-5 schedule if that doesn’t match when you’re most effective.
• Create start and end rituals. Develop practices that signal the beginning and end of your workday—whether it’s getting dressed in work clothes, taking a morning walk, or shutting down your computer and physically leaving your workspace. These rituals replace the transitions that commuting once provided.

Optimize Your Physical Environment

Your surroundings significantly impact your remote work experience:

• Make comfort a priority. Invest in a quality chair, proper monitor positioning, and good lighting. These ergonomic basics prevent physical strain and support long-term health—investments that pay off through better focus and fewer health issues.
• Change your scenery. Occasionally work from different locations—a coffee shop, library, coworking space, or outdoor setting—to maintain energy and stimulate creativity. Fresh environments often spark fresh thinking.
• Personalize your space. Add elements that boost your motivation and focus, whether that’s natural light, plants, inspiring photos, or meaningful objects. Unlike standardized offices, remote work lets you create a space perfectly suited to your preferences.

Stay Connected to People

Preventing isolation is perhaps the biggest challenge of remote work:

• Build community beyond your screen. Balance virtual work connections with in-person social interactions. Join local groups, use community spaces, or prioritize time with friends and family to maintain a rich social life outside of work.
• Make video calls count. Schedule regular video chats with colleagues that include personal updates alongside work discussions. These face-to-face interactions help maintain relationships and reduce isolation.
• Communicate proactively. Take the initiative to share your progress, ask questions, and make your work visible. In remote settings, the responsibility for staying connected falls more heavily on you than in traditional offices.
• Join team social activities. Participate in virtual coffee breaks, online games, or other non-work activities with your team. These experiences build the camaraderie that naturally develops when working side-by-side.

Exercise: Design Your Remote Work Practice

Successful remote work requires intentional design of both your environment and your routines. Whether you’re already working remotely or planning to, this exercise helps you create practices that maximize your productivity and well-being.

• Describe your ideal remote workspace. What physical elements (furniture, equipment, lighting) do you need? What environmental factors (noise level, privacy, view) help you focus best?
• What boundaries between “work” and “home” are most important for your well-being? For example, you might need clear time boundaries (not checking email after 6 p.m.), physical boundaries (a dedicated workspace), or communication boundaries (letting family know when you can’t be interrupted). Think of three specific routines or rituals that could help maintain these boundaries.
• How will you maintain meaningful connection with colleagues while working remotely? List specific communication practices and social interactions you’ll prioritize.
• What is your biggest personal challenge with remote work (or anticipated challenge if you haven’t worked remotely before)? What specific strategy recommended by Fried and Hansson could help you address this challenge? (For example: designating a workspace, creating rituals to start and end your work day, changing your scenery occasionally, scheduling regular video chats with coworkers, proactively sharing your progress, or joining team social activities.)