Member Reviews

Sharon Kolfman’s Surviving Remote Work helped me come up with ideas and ways to pull myself together during this time of remote work and no company get togethers. Having been a remote worker before remote working was a thing, I still learned so much from this book.

Was this review helpful?

It's a very handy book, on point, and relevant to the times. The author is clearly an expert and shares useful tips in an engaging tone that's easily relatable. A must read for all during this transition to remote workspace.

Was this review helpful?

Good tips for those who are making an income from home. Different topics to consider - mental health, security of computer, structure and so on.

Was this review helpful?

Considering a lot of us were pushed into working remotely this book really covers a lot of the things we've had to figure out on our own by doing what we had to do. However this book does provide some great tips that I'll incorporate into what I'm already doing. As an introvert I was more that ok with working from home and now that I'm trying to really create my new normal I'll definitely continue to use some of these things going forward.

Thanks to NetGally for the advanced copy of this book and for me to provide my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This book is a great resource for those who found themselves working from home this year, and not by choice. It's definitely a big adjustment, and Koifman provides many tips for both remote managers and remote workers. Even 9 months into working at home, I found it helpful to read through some tips and tricks to help me stay more productive. And I know I can refer back to this if I feel like I'm getting in a slump. Super helpful and practical!

Was this review helpful?

As I am working from remote I found this book extremely useful and full of interesting advice and hints.
It will surely help to improve my work life.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Was this review helpful?

This has been super helpful having been thrown into working from home as a result of the pandemic.
Lots of tips which I am sure I will revisit! I think this came at just the right time for me! Thank you netgalley.

Was this review helpful?

2020 has changed how we work. Many of us have had to work remotely in this pandemic year. My team and I have been working from home since March. So, when I was offered an advance copy of this book, I jumped at the chance, hoping it would improve my remote management skills. Sadly, most of this information is obvious, or we've worked it out by working remotely.

Koifman's breaks his book into a section for managers and a section for remote workers. His main points are clear: have good technology, such as computers, webcams, headsets, routers, etc; minimize distractions; focus on culture and good worker mental health. But come on, who doesn't know that. Most of us don't need this book; those that do will probably never realize they need it and won't come near it.

What made this worse for me was that the proof copy I received was full of typographical and grammatical errors and plain omissions. In many cases, it was like trying to read something a 5 year-old had written. (Maybe his child did write some of this!) That really distracted me. As much as I love working remotely, this book was not a winner for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an advance review copy for free;  I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

Was this review helpful?

The ideal read for someone who feels alone and frustrated working from home. You are not alone! This book is packed with useful and practical information that everyone can use. If you are like the many people who are now making a living at your home computer, then this is the book for you. The book is easy to read and written by an expert who has worked from home even before the pandemic. I recommend this book and give it five stars.

Was this review helpful?

Working from home is great, until about the fourth week when you begin to see a decrease in your productivity, find yourself easily distracted, or convince yourself simply putting away the dishes right quick won't hurt. Working from home came with the realization that I have little self-discipline. This can really create some problems. This book is so relevant for now and provided me several pieces of advice that are easy to implement and improved my work/home life.

If you are working from home and finding yourself struggling or don't want to avoid this struggle, read this book!

Was this review helpful?

If you're like me you have been thrust into remote working without really understanding how it's supposed to actually work. At the start of Covid I was THRILLED to get to work from home, excited to spend more time with my wife and kids. At first my company gave a lot of leeway, it was not the end of the world if I started a meeting a couple minutes late and blamed "connection problems". If I didn't respond to an email right away, no biggie. But now that we're a few months into remote working I've realized just muddling through working from home isn't good enough for me or for my employees. It's time for me and my team to really understand how to work effectively in this new environment, because it looks like we're going to be doing this for a while. Surviving Remote Work explained in detail everything I needed to know but it also taught me things I didn't even realize I needed! I can't say this loud enough, if you are running a business from home, or managing people remotely like me, this book is exactly what you need to become successful. Not just survive, but thrive. After reading I feel like I actually have a handle on things, I know what needs to be done for me and my team, and I have the tools to be successful.

At one point the author mentioned how he was inadvertently distracting his employees just by saying Hi to them. He would send them a chat message saying hi, to him it was just letting them know he was around and available to chat. This is something I do all the time too,. But to employees it is anxiety inducing. Hi online doesn't mean the same as it does in person. From an employee stand point that hi is their boss checking in on them to see if they are being productive. Or their boss needing them to stop what they were doing to talk to him, it was actually very distracting and was stopping them from their workflow. My mind was blown!

There are tons of examples of these kinds of "life lessons" this author has learned through the years that help us, just starting, learn from his experiences. He is remarkably well informed and it comes through in this help book. I really loved the humor he used, it made reading very enjoyable. I cannot rate this book with enough stars, it deserves to be in the hands of every remote worker around the world.

Was this review helpful?