The 10-Second Commute

Virtual work, which was steadily on the rise even before the pandemic, is explored in this timely book that describes the impact of technology on our work experiences, ranging from the individual psychological level to the broad societal implications. Widespread remote work is now possible, but it comes with its share of frustrations. Virtual work has changed our lives in ways big and small, from trying to balance our time to what we wear and where we sit and from how we communicate to where we should look during a videoconference. It's also fundamentally changed what kinds of jobs we can now do. Grounded in research and including lively personal anecdotes, The 10-Second Commute provides a thoughtful and comprehensive scan of the nature of virtual work. The authors, both researchers in management and technology, explore the current questions of our virtual lives, such as: Why Zoom instead of Skype? Why are emojis so useful? Why is videoconferencing so exhausting? How does diversity at work both help and hinder productivity? Virtual work is more than just work-it permeates our whole lives, and it will continue to do so as hybrid work arrangements become the new normal. Helping readers better understand the virtual work experience, this book will engage and inform everyone who is still trying to make it work.

Terri R. Kurtzberg, Mason Ameri

Chapter 1 Introduction: Ready, Set, Get Virtual Work, Forever Changed Virtual Intelligence Section One: Virtual Presence Section Two: Setting the Stage Section Three: Technology's Role Section 1 Virtual Presence Chapter 2 Getting to Know You Online Good to (Virtually) Meet You! Colleague vs. Friend Social Media Visibility Forcing Connections Virtual Office Gossip Summary: Musings on Creating Connections Virtually Chapter 3 Feeling Human Online Our Imperfect Virtual Senses Can You Hear Me Now? The Problems of Delay What Can We Learn from Online Gaming? Virtual Reality's Value Proposition Personality Online Summary: Musings on Our New Virtual Reality Chapter 4 The Video Experience Video vs. Voice What to Use When? Visual Gaze and Mindsight Self-View Exhaustion, Thy Name Is Zoom Summary: Musings on Life on Video Chapter 5 Language Online English, Spanish, Flemish, Text-ish? "You WANT to Go There" vs. "You Want to Go THERE" Emoji, ? or ?? What Does the Curly Loop Even Mean? A Brief History of Voice Assistants Summary: Musings on Verbalizing Online Section 2 Setting the Stage Chapter 6 Have Cubicle, Will Travel The Not-at-Home Office The At-Home Office Finding Inspiration Work-Life (Im)Balance Role-Switching Woes The Gender Tug-of-War Summary: Musings on Designing Home Spaces Chapter 7 Our Virtual Fashion Aesthetic The Dress Code Is Dead. Long Live the Dress Code! You Are What You Wear: Dressing for Ourselves Fashion Is Instant Language: Dressing for Others What We Wear, Where Summary: Musings on What We Wear Online Chapter 8 Bridging Divides Onboarding Onward The Difficulties of Dispersion Who Gets Heard? Trust and Conflict In Technology We Trust Summary: Musings on Building Connective Tissue in Virtual Teams Section 3 Technology's Role Chapter 9 Perception and Judgment Feeling Far Away The Upside of Distance Artificial Intelligence and Human Judgment The One Best Way Bias Baked into the System? AI at Work Summary: Musings on Human and AI Decision-Making Chapter 10 The Internet-Based Marketplace The Rise of the Gig Worker To Gig or Not to Gig? Part 1: Individual Gig Workers To Gig or Not to Gig? Part 2: Employers To Gig or Not to Gig? Part 3: Society Outsourcing Knowledge Work Summary: Musings on How the Internet Is Changing the Face of Work Chapter 11 Tech as Lifeblood The Digital Revolution Tech Drives Change The Closed-System Model Change Drives Tech: The Open-System Model Tech Adoption and the Emotional Cycle of Change What Hits the Market and Why? The Beating Heart of Virtual Work Summary: Musings on Gateways to Technology and Gateways by Technology Chapter 12 Looking Back and Looking Forward Uncharted Waters There and Back Again The Struggle Is Real Owing My Soul to the Company Store Hybrid Work: The Best of Both Worlds (Once We Get It Right) The New Charter Virtual Work Is Here to Stay Notes Index