Making Remote Work Work Book Summary

Book Summary

15 min

Brief Summary

Technology and the internet have engendered the rise of remote work. This means companies that offer the option of remote work can experience multiple benefits, such as a diverse range of job applicants and reduced operating costs, while employees can pursue opportunities far from where they live. To be successful, employers should set clear standards for success for their remote employees, encourage regular communication, and ensure employees have the tools they need to do their work. Employees that are successful in a remote role are self-directed, motivated, and are able to stick to a set schedule and maintain a strong social and professional network even without the structure of a traditional office.

About the Author

Gil Gildner is an author and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of the technical marketing company Discosloth. He has also written three nonfiction books: Write The Other Way, Becoming A Digital Marketer, and Making Remote Work Work.

Gildner has two forthcoming books. Becoming A Web Analytics Expert is planned for release in 2021, and Publishers Are Dying: How To Become An Author Today is set to be released in 2022.

Gildner has traveled to 45 countries and currently lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas with his wife, Anya.

Topics

Career & Success Management & Leadership

Making Remote Work Work Book Summary Preview

What You’ll Learn

Effective strategies for finding and hiring successful remote employees
Tips on how to manage a productive and engaged remote workforce
Techniques for finding and excelling in a remote role

Who Is This For

Hiring managers and employers of remote teams
Employees who work and collaborate with colleagues virtually
Individuals looking to transition into remote work

Key Insights

Although working from one’s home was once the standard, the Industrial Revolution disrupted the workforce and established the standard of going into a factory or office for work. It is only with the development of new technologies, especially the internet, that remote work has experienced a recent resurgence. New technology has enabled employees to connect and work from anywhere. Companies now have the advantage of hiring from a diverse workforce, while employees can enjoy the benefits of working from anywhere they like, and may pursue opportunities from anywhere in the world. However, remote work is not a fit for every organization, or for every employee. Effective remote employers are able to recruit and hire strong employees, who are motivated, independent, and have a take-charge attitude. They establish clear goals, set standards of communication, and evaluate their teams based on productivity and results. Successful remote employees are independent, flexible, establish a daily, weekly, and monthly work schedule, and maintain a strong social and professional network.

Remote Work Is Not A New Idea

Remote work is not a new phenomenon. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

Up until the Industrial Revolution, remote work was actually the norm.

Before the mass transition to manufacturing made going into work at factories the standard way to make a living, most people earned their money working from their homes. However, manufacturing completely transformed the way people thought about the world, and even after the Industrial Revolution, people became accustomed to working away from their homes. Working from a factory or office instead of home became the norm.

However, new technology, such as phones and fax machines, once again enabled people to be able to work from their homes. Although initially remote working capabilities were restricted to a few specific employees, such as managers or traveling businessmen, the invention of the internet has led to a resurgence in remote work for many more workers.

When the popularity of the internet exploded, more workers had the ability to connect with each other from anywhere in the world. The first remote workers worked in the internet industry, as webmasters and bloggers, or as freelancers, like writers and artists. The internet gave freelancers a new level of freedom and the ability to reach out and connect with clients from anywhere, without increasing their operating costs.

As technology continued to advance, the internet became faster and new technologies became cheaper. This enabled more and more people to access its benefits. More and more employees were now able to access the tools they needed to complete their work responsibilities from inside their homes. Younger employees who had grown up with the internet were accustomed to being able to do work from anywhere, so when they entered the workforce,...