We talk a lot about working remotely. Over 70% of our employees work remotely. They work out of homes, coffee shops, and co-working spaces. They play music, garden, and spend time with their families. We dig working remotely so much we wrote a book about it.
Meet some of the fantastic people who make working remotely for 37signals such a success.
Jeff Mackey
on 22 Oct 13Very cool video. Can’t wait to read the book. Congrats, guys!
Nikhil
on 22 Oct 13I just started working remotely at a new company yesterday. The majority of the company and the entire engineering team is spread across to globe. Its been really interesting so far how I’m able to interact and even group code with engineers as far away as Western Asia and Eastern Europe. Skype, Google Hangouts and other technology has really made running a company with a remote team a viable option, including the company I work for.
Drew Wilson
on 22 Oct 13From someone that works 30 feet from their front door. It truly is a ghost town over there.
Andy King
on 22 Oct 13You guys are awesome. Keep up the great work!
Grover
on 22 Oct 13I’ve been following this blog closely for some time now and I’m beginning to suspect that 37signals is in favor of working from home.
It’s subtle, but if you read carefully, it’s in there.
Bryan Sebastian
on 22 Oct 13This is a great video! Thanks for sharing it. As someone who is trying to create a company (slowly) 37signals view on remote work has both inspired and provided me with a blueprint on how to go about it. Really looking forward to the book.
Also, I’m so glad to know that I’m not the only one geeky enough to have a Lego star destroyer in their office. I believe that may have been JZ that had that… cool stuff.
Mark Imbriaco
on 22 Oct 13For anyone that might be skeptical, as a former 37signals employee I can confirm it’s all true. Even all those hobbies Jamis has. :)
I miss you all!
Rob
on 22 Oct 13Hi guys, I’m sure 37signals employees are very happy, and have the best walked dogs/most beautiful gardens in the neighbourhood…but what rules/schedules (if any) are there to ensure things are ACTUALLY getting done?
Example: How many hours a week can you slack off watering your cactus until Jason pulls you to one side and gives you the “hair-dryer”?
Glenn Meder
on 22 Oct 13Inspiring video. Love it.
Prasanna
on 22 Oct 13Really inspiring. I’m a silicon valley entrepreneur – have raised $7M+ for my previous company – Circle (www.crunchbase.com/company/circle-inc); I’m very interested in building software that enables a lot more efficiency with remote work. Actively considering starting a new company in that space.
I would love to chat with you guys and learn more – Would it be possible for a connect with Jason? I’m [email protected] (myprasanna.com)
DHH
on 22 Oct 13Rob, we’ve never really had to address that. What you get out is what you put in. We’ve put a lot of trust in, so we’re getting a lot of trust out. People putting in amazing work. The trouble is often more about how you prevent OVERWORK, not underwork. We cover this in the book as well.
Adrien
on 22 Oct 13I know people at contract software firms, who swear good software is impossible without extreme pair programming with both developers sitting in front of the same computer. Funny, I don’t think any of them have produced a product as polished and successful as Basecamp. Guess the work speaks for itself.
Jannik
on 22 Oct 13I worked remotely for ~3-4 years as a freelancer and as an employee. I liked the independence of it but also felt kind of “lonely” in terms of inspiration or positive distraction like chatting and joking with colleagues. As a programmer my work is often quite abstract and human interactions helps me recharge the abstract-thinking-areas of my brain. One could argue that you could meet with friends when working from home but they either work or I have to take a ride which results in a longer break not suitable for a short recreational distraction. Working with colleagues in the same office or building fosters creativity for me.
Now I run my own small software company and we have an office and our employees have the choice to work remotely or in the office. 99% of their time they spend in the office.
What they tell me is that the like the creative vibe, the casual but professional and productive atmosphere and of course the ping pong :) Also when they are in the office, its work mode. Their brains are in work mode. When their leave the office their brain is in private mode which helps them relax thus they come to work the next day better rested. Since the time they start is up to them they can adjust work times to their natural rhythm.
Tom
on 22 Oct 13I’m curious how you manage employee benefits (such as health insurance), payroll taxes, and income tax withholding when you have employees in different states and countries. Did you find these issues quite challenging?
Tim
on 22 Oct 13I’ve been looking into remote work a lot, are you hiring? :)
Derek
on 22 Oct 13First off working remotely I think has lots of advantages and also disadvantages. I did have to laugh though at:
”... If I get cold, I put on a sweater… “
;)
Jason
on 22 Oct 13About half of our staff work remotely, and in fact we usually have only one of our developers in office. We are spread out geographically in a number of locations across the US, so this isn’t just ‘work from home’ in the same city. I think it has worked out great for us. We have the flexibility of hiring the right employees wherever we find them, and ‘you can work at home’ is a very powerful benefit to sway potential hires away from other companies, and really to keep employees as well. The turnover here has been very low compared to other companies where I have worked.
Emil
on 22 Oct 13Wow. That video was interesting. I would never ever want to work that way, but I understand that you guys like it.
As a programmer it is to lonely for me. I do like a quiet office and prefer campfire to a “hey” shout but it’s cozy to light candles and have small design/development discussions in our office sofa. (its dark and rainy in Sweden this time of the year….)
Bryan Nichols
on 22 Oct 13I love the cultural anti-pattern you guys are advocating. There seems to be this idea that if you make the place that your employees work more like ‘home’ it somehow becomes better to be there (things like slides, video games, and nap rooms come to mind). On the contrary, you guys prove that working remote is not only viable but beneficial to your employees. It allows them to leverage the nature of electronic work and integrate work into their lives wherever they are, rather than the other way around. Thanks for championing this idea. It needs to be applied more.
Fred S
on 22 Oct 13I love it. The succulent plants. The coffee. Bikes. It was like an episode of Portlandia.
Sam
on 22 Oct 13If you watch this without the sound on, this video looks like the new Apple commercial, hehe. I like the message, I still dream for a remote job that leaves me able to work while traveling.
Jerad
on 22 Oct 13Very nice. We’ve found much of this to be true as well. You should check out http://yonder.io/ which is an event for leaders of distributed teams.
Will
on 22 Oct 13I love that coffee seems to be the common component for all the employees.
Caffeine is the tie that binds.
Americo
on 22 Oct 13Great Video. I really like seeing other 37signals employees in it. Just as with Rework… I Can’t wait to read Remote
Michael
on 23 Oct 13Very nice video, Shaun.
James
on 23 Oct 13I think nearly everyone in this video was making a coffee whilst speaking :)
Rob
on 23 Oct 13As someone who works in a large corporation, I’d love to have this kind of remote freedom at my company. However, to a degree I just don’t think it is scalable. Look at what Marissa Mayer had to do at Yahoo! Large and complex companies that operate on a global scale need people to work in the same room at times and in some cases often or even on a daily basis.
Ella
on 24 Oct 13I am a big fan of remote work and I believe it is a must for employee health, wellness, work/life balance, and all the other points mentioned. I also think other commenters raise some good points about the need for in-person interaction as well. A hybrid approach is likely best overall. One thought: When I worked in the corporate world before starting my own business, I was “allowed” to work from home a couple days per week. I was so grateful for this rare opportunity in an otherwise very traditional office model that I worked by butt off at home to be as productive as possible. I wanted to make sure my management would never regret giving me that flexibility. If the world slowly transitions to the other side of the spectrum, to a more predominant remote model, where that flexibility is not only granted but even expected, will the workforce start to take it for granted? And if so, how will this affect productivity? Shortly after Yahoo tightened its leash on employees, Best Buy also adjusted their own notorious work from home policy. (http://money.cnn.com/2013/03/05/technology/best-buy-work-from-home/) If I grow my company large enough to have employees, I will likely embrace a hybrid remote/in-person model. Even if it means paying for travel for distant employees a few times of year, the benefits far outweigh the cost. Thanks for the great discussion.
Gobet
on 24 Oct 13Great video. Congrats!! I’m brazilian and work remotely. I’m happier now. More time for family, not spend my time in traffic. It’s sad that is not very common here, for now. But I hope that this change happens with the time. The future is inevitable. Best reggards.
David S
on 25 Oct 13As someone who works more-or-less independently, I’ve found that one of the most helpful things is to keep good track of how you use your time (working or otherwise). Not only does it give you a more realistic view of how long things take but it can often cure the “I’m probably not working enough” fears. Do you do anything with your (new?) employees to help them get into a good groove and stay on the right track? Not in a big brother way, of course, but I’m sure you have learned a number of lessons throughout the years.
macool
on 25 Oct 13Awesome video! Really inspiring. Congrats!
Kevin
on 28 Oct 13I have been fortunate to be able to work remotely for much of my career, and I have experienced the advantages and disadvantages mentioned in previous comments. For me, the biggest advantages have been avoiding a commute, being able to focus more easily on problem solving, and working odd hours (I like to take a break in the afternoon and pick up back a few hours in the evening.) Of course, I think having interaction with colleagues is also a great way to keep from feeling lonely sometimes. However, it should also be mentioned that doing something that you are passionate about is also a key to happiness and life balance. Great video and as always, 37 Signals continues to inspire me!
This discussion is closed.