Could any publication be more timely than a book dedicated to helping people work successfully, remotely?  I did read the first chapter, focused on why people might want to work remotely, with a somewhat wry smile.  They take the time here to explain the benefits and rationale of working remotely, but I am sure that the authors could not when writing the text have had in mind a global pandemic leading to government mandate to work from home. Today, this chapter is perhaps best viewed as the explanation to why we should stay working remotely.

It would be easy to think perhaps, that a book like this is no longer required given that we have now all been working remotely for several months.  However, this perspective would overlook the fact that we all went to work from home in a crisis without a great deal of planning or structure.  Normally when an organisation decides to adopt flexible or remote working they do so as part of a strategy, with appropriate training, structure and technology.  Although over the last few months individuals and organisations alike have learned much about remote working, there is still a great deal of useful information to be gleaned from a book like this one.

The book sets out how to approach remote working outside of a crisis scenario.  It addresses subjects including how to work successfully remotely yourself, how to lead and manage a remote team, how to hire and onboard remotely, and how to deal with conflict.  There is a very useful resources section, along with insight and examples from the people who have remotely been there and done it. 

Today, many organisations will be thinking about their future strategy for remote working. Early research into perceptions of remote working during the pandemic indicate that employees have experienced benefits from doing so and wish to retain an element of remote working in the future.  For those organisations who see this as a potential future or competitive advantage, this book sets out exactly how to achieve it on both a practical level but also how to work towards the necessary culture change to support it. 

An interesting, and very timely read.

Published by Wiley

Gemma Dale, Founder, The Work Consultancy