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, PhD, is professor of management and global business at Rutgers Business School, Newark and New Brunswick.
Mason Ameri, PhD, is associate professor of professional practice at Rutgers Business School, Newark and New Brunswick.

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