The Power of Remote: Building High-Performing Organizations That Thrive in the Virtual Workplace

by Cynthia Watson, Shane Spraggs

With increased demand for hybrid and fully remote work styles, most firms understand that some form of distance work is here to stay - and have put some remote protocols in place. But are they the right ones? Do they reflect best practices when it comes to the hiring, training, and onboarding of new remote hires? Are policies and workflows in place that enable remote workers to be as productive as possible? Does management know how to keep remote teams engaged while keeping an eye out for burnout and other wellness issues?

Often, the answer is “we’re not quite there yet.” Many companies either see the shift to remote work as a threat to their culture and management style, or they just don’t know how to make the transition.

It’s time to take advantage of the many opportunities remote work presents. Stop saying “we’re not there yet,” and start saying “we’ve arrived!” This book will show you how.

316 pages, Hardcover

Published February 7, 2023

Reviews

[J Kromrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

The Power of Remote by Cynthia Watson and Shane Spraggs is a timely and practical guide for anyone who wants to leverage the benefits of remote work in the post-pandemic world. The authors draw from their extensive experience in managing and consulting remote teams across various industries and geographies, and share valuable insights, tips, and best practices on how to build high-performing organizations that thrive in the virtual workplace.

This book covers topics such as how to hire, train, and onboard remote workers, how to develop a remote culture and foster collaboration, how to communicate effectively and avoid misunderstandings, how to manage remote projects and measure productivity, and how to ensure the well-being and engagement of remote workers. The book also provides case studies, examples, and tools that illustrate the concepts and strategies discussed.

The Power of Remote is not just a book for managers and leaders, but also for remote workers and aspiring remote workers who want to learn how to succeed and grow in their remote careers. The book is written in a clear, concise, and engaging style, and offers actionable advice that can be applied immediately. Whether you are new to remote work or a seasoned remote worker, you will find something useful and relevant in this book.

The Power of Remote is a must-read for anyone who wants to embrace the future of work and unlock the power of working remotely.

[Karyn H]

A Timely Book About Remote Work

Power of Remote by Cynthia Watson and Shane Spraggs is an excellent and timely book that touches on one of the contemporary topics of our time: remote work—working from home. Several discussions often lead to unnecessary arguments about whether remote work is as practical as in-office work. But the truth remains that both the remote and in-office opportunities work side-by-side to ensure higher productivity and better performance of an organization.
In this book, the authors review the benefits, purpose, and need for many offices to embrace remote work. The truth remains that remote work has come to stay, and the best thing any company can do for itself in this post-pandemic era is to learn to utilize and appreciate remote work. Remote work has several benefits; only some people take the time to understand and appreciate it.
Through this book, the authors will help company CEO and those in charge of recruitment and organizations understand and begin to appreciate some of these benefits of remote working and embrace it better. I strongly recommend this book to business owners and companies that wish to cut down overhead expenditure on staff and office management.

[Conscientious · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Power of Remote is a collective collaboration by two brilliant authors, namely Cynthia Watson and Shane Spraggs. From this guide, companies and managers can fully utilize the knowledge to effectively hire, train, and employee high performing remote workforce. The authors explain that as COVID hit the entire world, he went in chaos as well as the working regime. To work from home became a new normal, and thus essential is to learn to adapt to the changes and understand the benefits of remote work. In this book, managers can learn to develop high functioning remote employees, learn clear and effective communication, productively manage remote projects, and much more! I loved this guide; it has plenty of knowledge, and the narration is clear that makes it easier to understand. Remote working is the new world, and it is important to learn to manage the challenges that come along with it. A highly recommended guide to know the process that can help in cost cutting, boost productivity, improve morale, and so much more!

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the pandemic, remote working boomed. In fact, quite a few people I know either work remotely, are applying for remote work, or have hybrid/options of working remotely. I have heard so much from the workers' side that I wanted to see the company’s side of things and what it means to go remote for companies. The Power of Remote provided just that. We get to see the benefits and purpose as well as effective practices for companies and remote work.

I recommend this book to any company or CEO thinking about going remote or providing a better remote environment for workers and employers. Watson and Spragss give a good guide full of detailed explanations that walk you through each phase of going remote. This includes topics like working styles, working culture, team working remotely, communication strategies and skills, etc. It was interesting to see from a different perspective and I think businesses that are remote now or thinking about it could truly benefit from this book.

[Yolanda Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The power of the remote by Cynthia Watson and Shane Spragg's book is an excellent tool for managers who want to effectively manage remote employees. It offers practical steps for managing remote teams, starting with the hiring process, onboarding, and training, and goes on to create structures and systems that promote productivity and collaboration in the virtual workspace. 

The authors provide an in-depth analysis of the key elements of successful remote work, including team collaboration, goal setting, communication strategies, and performance metrics, and they stress the importance of creating a supportive and collaborative environment that empowers remote workers to be happy and productive. Overall, the book is a valuable resource for modern managers who want to establish and maintain a successful virtual workplace, and it is easy to understand and implement. Highly recommended 

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Power of Remote” by the two excellent authors Cynthia Watson and Shane Spraggs was written as a result of the effect that the Covid-19 pandemic had on the world of business. The book extensively explores all the advantages that come about when work is done remotely. The writers point out that, among other things, working remotely and virtually can cut costs, improve the morale of your employees, boost productivity and so forth. I enjoyed the fact that the book has occasional, very relevant illustrations which enhance the reader’s understanding of the text. The writing style is easy to follow and the authors’ points are put across clearly. As a business owner, you will do yourself a favor by reading this insightful book.

[Nela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Power of Remote by authors Cynthia Watson and Shane Spraggs is a very helpful book in the current (post COVID pandemic) labour context and within the framework of the recent and rapid growth of virtual work and the different hybrid modalities. This was not an easy transition for many traditional companies, neither for the more conservative leaders and managers. Therefore, I consider that this type of reading material and specific literature contributes a lot to the evolution of work in remote modalities.
All in all, this reading provides valuable information in order to maintain a remote workforce, with functional and effective teams, with efficient communications and achieving high performance in business.

[Bojan Radulovic · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great example that everyone who can write a book should not write one. An utterly useless writing, plagued with over 250 sources coming from places that do not even support the authors’ ideas - they took dozens of quotes from popular companies that are openly anti-remote. Lot of sources further contradict each other throughout the book, which isn’t surprising given the quality of research here is no better than a quick Google search. Finally, the book talks more about general, cookie-cutter management, transparency, and accountability with remote being a side though half of the time, and the writing style is beyond boring. Keep looking, this one won’t teach you much about remote work or virtual organizations

[Brooke Espenschied · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is definitely written for a supervisor, manager or founder of a remote or hybrid company but also contains some good clips of information for remote workers.

Key Takeaways:
- importance of keeping communication concise, informative, and minimal. capturing people’s attention in the first 3 opening lines
- presence on camera not always necessary but importance of professional headshots/your “digital presence”
- clear communication, weekly or monthly milestones, and regular check ins
- 50 minute max meetings - to allow for breaks before the hour
- necessity of meeting agendas
- new hire’s “welcome buddy” to show them the ropes and make it more personal
- introverts typically make for the best remote workers
- connect work with something they are passionate about

[Pearl · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who works from home, I have to agree to all of the things that were written in this book. The Power of Remote: Building High-Performing Organizations That Thrive in the Virtual Workplace by Cynthia Watson shows what working remotely can do to the business and how it can be a lot more beneficial compared to working at the location. I truly find this working set-up not only convenient to workers but it also enables me to be more productive and efficient. The book was well-written and well-elaborated. Companies who are still not instilling this should learn from this book and consider switching to let employees work from home.

[Susel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remote work is preferred by many workers worldwide as it has many benefits, from reducing long commute hours, to the possibility to work from anywhere in the world. That is why many organizations are offering this possibility, and this is the perfect book for any leader who needs to learn how to implement it successfully.

“The Power of Remote”, by Cynthia Watson and Shane Spraggs, is a complete guide, filled with knowledge on how to implement the right systems to obtain the best results from a remote work team.

This is a very valuable book that will help any manager to build a strong, efficient and functional work team. This is definitely a must read!

[Lucia Maranghello · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Power of Remote: Building High-Performing Organizations That Thrive In The Virtual Workplace by Cynthia Watson & Shane Spraggs is a 21st-century book that opens up the new reality we had to face after the pandemic in the workplace. This book is aimed at managers ad staffers post-pandemic, keen to embrace remote or hybrid work. It shows the pros and cons of remote work with evidential statistics.

It was highly entertaining to read the evidence that virtual work provided, offering lots of graphics and comprehensive writing.

In my personal opinion, I truly enjoy working remotely because I get to do my work from anywhere with just an accessible wifi network! Highly recommend it!

[Almiria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating book by Cynthia Watson and Shane Spraggs, “The Power of Remote”, came about thanks to the discoveries the authors made when working virtually from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of those discoveries is that working from home has many benefits for your business such as expanding your talent pool and lowering the environmental impact of doing business. I appreciate that the book teaches one how to make the best use of remote work. It shows one how to empower remote starters to “work cross-functionally with other teams and organizations.” This book will definitely help you if you are interested in the benefits of virtual remote work. Highly recommended.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Power of Remote is an essential read for the current times. It delves into the world of working from home. Working remotely is an ability that most of us had to learn during the pandemic simply to keep our jobs. That necessity opened the door to a whole new world, a world full of possibilities especially in business. In this book, its authors Shane Spraggs and Cynthis Watson explain how to take your business online and make it work. They explain how to select employees and how to train them to work from home. They also describe with detail the advantages of this working mode. Highly recommended.

[Susan B · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all know that working from home is nothing new after a pandemic, but it never hurts to absorb more information that would help us improve our remote-working skills.
This book is educational and helpful when it comes to allowing readers to develop skills that will help them succeed better as remote team leaders of a workforce which may even be from different countries. Apart from these qualities, the narrative is entertaining and fast-paced, what makes it easier to follow.
Even though The Power of Remote is super useful for human resource departments, it can also be read by anyone interested in delving into human resources and personnel topics.

[Tim Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Power of Remote by Cynthia Watson and Shane Spraggs is a timely and insightful exploration of the evolving landscape of remote work. This book offers a practical and data-driven approach to building high-performing organizations in a virtual environment.

The authors delve into a wide range of topics, from leadership strategies to team dynamics and employee engagement. They provide actionable insights and real-world examples to help organizations navigate the challenges and opportunities of remote work. Whether you're a seasoned remote worker or a leader transitioning to a virtual workplace, this book offers valuable guidance.

[Tanuja Awasthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The “dedication” page sums it up for how to use this book! Remote work is here to stay and this book will help you succeed and thrive in this new business reality. A must read if you are remote, partially remote, hybrid, or even on-site, the book offer great insights on leadership, project execution, communication, and collaboration.

[Marie Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Power of Remote" covers everything from potential challenges and how to hire the best remote collaborators to how to best navigate remote projects from start to finish.

Here are the main lessons I gathered from reading it: I hope they serve you in understanding if this book is for you.
https://shereadsbusiness.com/2023/03/...

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bottom line - good management is key to successful remote work engagements. We don’t need to surveil employees - we need to empower, educate, and resource workers to have what they need and then let them run with it.

[Mike Tanner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The books starts strong but gets a little bogged down in the second half. Also maybe the first book I’ve ever read that doesn’t have a conclusion. Just “heres a chapter, bye”. But the value in the first half for remote leaders is legit.

[Ryan Fahey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome book with tons of insights and strategies for executives and teams from across the globe.

[Sarah Hissett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isn't just for those businesses looking to transition to a remote workforce, but to help those wishing to work remote find out if they have what it takes to perform in this environment.