The future isn't about where we will work, but how. For years we have struggled to balance work and life, with most of us feeling overwhelmed and burned out because our relationship to work is broken. This "isn't just a book about remote work. It's a book that helps us imagine a future where our lives - at the office and home - are happier, more productive, and genuinely meaningful" (Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of The Power of Habit).
Out of Office is a book for every office worker - from employees to managers - currently facing the decision about whether, and how, to return to the office. The past two years have shown us that there may be another path forward, one that doesn't involve hellish daily commutes and the demands of jam-packed work schedules that no longer make sense. But how can we realise that future in a way that benefits workers and companies alike?
Based on groundbreaking reporting and interviews with workers and managers around the world, Out of Office illuminates the key values and questions that should be driving this conversation- trust, fairness, flexibility, inclusive workplaces, equity, and work-life balance. Above all, they argue that companies need to listen to their employees - and that this will promote, rather than impede, productivity and profitability. As a society, we have talked for decades about flexible work arrangements; this book makes clear that we are at an inflection point where this is actually possible for many employees and their companies. Out of Office is about so much more than zoom meetings and hybrid schedules- it aims to reshape our entire relationship to the office.
'If you believe there's a better way to live than refreshing your work email until you close your eyes at night, you'll appreciate this deep dive into how workers relate to the office.'
-Angela Haupt, Washington Post
'This book will challenge you to rethink what it takes to make remote work work - not just for companies, but for people. With lucid writing, provocative examples, and refreshing candour, Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen highlight what too many workplaces are doing wrong - and how we can start getting it right.'
-Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife
'Out of Office isn't just a book about remote work. It's a book that helps us imagine a future where our lives - at the office and home - are happier, more productive, and genuinely meaningful. As companies and employees imagine their post-pandemic futures, Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen have provided an essential framework for rethinking how we work.'
-Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better
Author Biography:
Anne Helen Petersen (Author)
Anne Helen Petersen is an American writer and journalist based in Missoula, Montana. She worked as a Senior Culture Writer for Buzzfeed until 2020 when she began writing a newsletter for subscribers at Substack. A former academic, Petersen received her PhD at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the author of three previous books, including Can't Even- how millennials became the burnout generation (2020).
Charlie Warzel (Author)
Based in Missoula, Montana, Charlie Warzel became a New York Times opinion writer at large in 2019. Before that, he was a senior technology writer at BuzzFeed News. He has been a technology writer for Adweek magazine and a producer at NBC News.
