The BNH Book Review: Out of Office

“Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home”
by Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen
2021/Knopf
$27/272 pages

Working from home, or living at work? That’s how the authors of “Out of Office” say that the current situation has been described to them, and that often means a lack of boundaries between work and play. It’s no wonder people burn out.

“Whatever your isolating, claustrophobic setup was during the pandemic,” the authors say, “that is not what the future of work looks like.”

“Out of Office” is a book for CEOs and business owners, and Warzel and Petersen identify four ideas to help leaders and employees adapt. Employers need to offer employees flexibility or “people are just going to quit.” But offer it in a way that’s best achieved and easiest to measure with guardrails in place.

Find good managers to shift the company culture to a flexible workplace, eliminate the fear of missing something and consider having hybrid workplaces that offer space for teams or individuals to meet. Encourage employees to join a community on their off time, so that they can “fill it with things that nourish” them.

“It sounds hokey,” say the authors, “but you have the power to significantly change people’s lives. What are you going to do with it?”

While the authors offer much unneeded background, their accompanying concepts answer most concerns. Business owners who are determined to take advantage of, and survive in, today’s new way of working will find plenty of takeaways, and it may help change a few minds.