Hey there!
Seems like every day there’s a new report out, confirming what we already know — remote work is better for getting work done, getting the best people and giving people the chance to do their best work. Hybrid schedules might sound like the best compromise, but it’s actually the worst of office and remote worlds, with people still tied to expensive cities and congested commutes, only to go into an office for Zoom calls.
Executives might argue that collaboration happens best when people are in the same room, but ideas aren’t contained. They aren’t "located" and they don’t "reside." You just need the right minds, wherever they are. And if managers are being honest, what they’re most worried about is not knowing what people are doing or where they are. We’d argue that doesn’t matter. What matters is letting people design their own schedule around when they can do their best work.
As a company that has had the majority of people working remotely for more than 20 years, we’ve accumulated enough thoughts and best practices on the subject. Enough, in fact, to fill a whole book, Remote, and two podcast episodes. We cover everything from how to manage a remote team to how to communicate and organize time. If you’re still trying to figure out how to transition your team’s (or your boss’s) way of thinking, you might check these out.
Here are a few other things you might have missed…
Thoughts We’ve Shared
Underdo the competition
From the latest episode of The Rework Podcast: In business, the idea that more is better often leads companies to engage in an endless race to add more features while losing sight of what truly matters to their users. From Basecamp’s high-level simplicity to the disruptive potential of the new product line, “ONCE,” the conversation explores the success of products that have rewritten the rules through simplicity, focusing on the small details that elevate products to greatness.
Look back less
One of the reasons companies have a hard time moving forward is because they’ve tangled themselves in the near past. They’ve trapped themselves looking for certainty where there isn’t any. Searching for actionable advice where there are only guesses. It’s a mistake most of the time. And a waste of time almost all of the time.
Things We’re Excited About
Behind the scenes of the new HEY Calendar
As we finish up the all new HEY Calendar, here’s a peek behind the scenes of the project itself. In this LinkedIn post, we share screenshots of updates and Hill Charts from the actual project. You can see movement of different scopes over the past week, as well as a new scope that appeared on the "figuring things out" side.
Now live! The Rails Documentary
With one of the most faithful communities online, Rails also has one of the most controversial, rabble-rousing creators out there, Danish programmer, David Heinemeier Hansson. Get the whole spill from the people who had a front-row seat to the creation and development of Ruby on Rails.
Until next time,
Elaine, COO of 37signals