Over Work - by Brigid Schulte (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Brigid Schulte is a vital voice on the future of work, and her carefully researched book lights the way to fewer hours, less stress, and more meaning."
―Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and Hidden Potential, and host of the podcast WorkLife

From the New York Times bestselling author of Overwhelmed, a deeply reported exploration of why American work isn't working and how our lives can be made more meaningful

Following Overwhelmed, Brigid Schulte's groundbreaking examination of time management and stress, the prizewinning journalist now turns her attention to the greatest culprit in America's quality-of-life crisis: the way our economy and culture conceive of work. Americans across all demographics, industries, and socioeconomic levels report exhaustion, burnout, and the wish for more meaningful lives. This full-system failure in our structure of work affects everything from gender inequality to domestic stability, and it even shortens our lifespans.

Drawing on years of research, Schulte traces the arc of our discontent from a time before the 1980s, when work was compatible with well-being and allowed a single earner to support a family, until today, with millions of people working multiple hourly jobs or in white-collar positions where no hours are ever off duty.

She casts a wide net in search of solutions, exploring the movement to institute a four-day workweek, introducing Japan's Housewives Brigade--which demands legal protection for family time--and embedding with CEOs who are making the business case for humane conditions. And she demonstrates the power of a collective and creative demand for change, showing that work can be organized in an infinite number of ways that are good for humans and for business.

Fiercely argued and vividly told, rich with stories and informed by deep investigation, Over Work lays out a clear vision for ending our punishing grind and reclaiming leisure, joy, and meaning.

Review Quotes

Named one of Amazon's Best Business and Leadership Books of 2024
A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read

"Ambitious... A grand unifying theory to explain why so many Americans are exhausted and stressed."
--The Washington Post

"Great... Zooms out and talks about how there's a context for overwork... I was just sort of floored."
--Emily Peck, Slate: Money Talks

"A convincing case for a drastic overhaul of the way we earn a living.... A great introduction to the gnarly problems of work and policies to tackle them."
--Financial Times

"A deeply reported book with a ton of results... Moving."
--Aki Ito, C-SPAN

"[Schulte's] conclusions offer no pat solutions, rather underscoring the need for change."
--Los Angeles Times, "10 Books to Add to Your Reading List"

"A journalistic deep dive into the origins and development of an ongoing crisis in Americans' quality of life, connections, and happiness."
--Book Riot

"Writing with energy and passion, Schulte shows how work has come to dominate our lives and outlines options for change."
--Kirkus Reviews

"A bold vision for transforming work from a burden that takes over our lives into an activity that enriches them. Brigid Schulte is a vital voice on the future of work, and her carefully researched book lights the way to fewer hours, less stress, and more meaning."
--Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and Hidden Potential, and host of the podcast WorkLife

"In her fantastic new book, Brigid Schulte combines meticulous research with compelling profiles to argue that the exhausting way we work today is a choice. More sustainable and equitable options are possible, but only if we're willing to engage at the societal level in the hard but necessary work of making needed change."
--Cal Newport, New York Times bestselling author of Slow Productivity and Digital Minimalism

"Revelatory and inspiring, Over Work delivers the hopeful news that real change is possible. While we've all been tied to the grind, workers of every kind--from domestic workers to CEOs--have been building a movement, refusing to accept that our punishing, perilous way of work is the only way to organize our lives. The stories captured in Schulte's book point to the possibility of an economy where we move beyond winners and losers to shared opportunity and true progress."
--Ai-jen Poo, President, National Domestic Workers Alliance, and author of The Age of Dignity

"In Over Work, Brigid Schulte illuminates diverse change agents driven by visions of a fairer, more fulfilling work-life paradigm. She weaves captivating storytelling with essential data to expose the roots and ramifications of our overworked society, while spotlighting innovative solutions. Through tales of resilience and resistance, from advocating for better labor laws to fostering individual agency, Over Work urges readers to challenge entrenched myths, embrace meaningful change, and envision a future where work truly works for all."
--Heather McGhee, bestselling author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together

"Before the pandemic, millions of Americans were already struggling to manage their workload in a society that undervalues caregiving and respite while overvaluing exertion and individual responsibility. Now, the disruption of the coronavirus has set loose a power struggle over how we might reorder work to align it more with employees' needs. Brigid Schulte is the ideal person to capture this struggle in all its complexity. Over Work is a comprehensive, timely, and humane exploration of the great work-life conundrum."
--Alec MacGillis, reporter and author of Fulfillment: America in the Shadow of Amazon

"As with her first book, Overwhelmed, Brigid Schulte has once again captured the zeitgeist and brought it home to us with a mix of unforgettable people and unacceptable facts. The American workplace needs the same kind of dramatic transformation that Henry Ford created a century ago. Over Work shows us how."
--Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America and Author of Unfinished Business: Women Men Work Family

"Over Work is a powerful, hard-hitting critique of the shabby, callous way that many American corporations treat their workers, whether at fast-food companies or fancy law firms. Well-researched and well-argued, the book proposes changes and examines companies and countries with innovative policies that ensure workers are treated humanely and with respect."
--Stephen Greenhouse, author of Beaten Down, Worked Up

"Brigid Schulte is one of America's foremost caretakers of the idea of care. In Over Work, she argues that care work must be respected and economically supported. The book's data is striking, as are its stories of workers who have made awful sacrifices on the altar of success, including a lawyer whose heart actually wore out from stressful labor. But Schulte also presents surprising, happy experiments, as in Scotland, where care labor is properly remunerated. Over Work will stick with you."
--Alissa Quart, author of Bootstrapped and Squeezed

"For anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed or burnt out due to work, it is not your fault. Work systems were designed to keep us perpetually devoted to our jobs at the expense of our families and personal lives. You will see yourself in the eye-opening stories of overworked women and men that Brigid Schulte so deftly illustrates. Over Work is a call to action for work cultures that allow everyone to have meaningful lives and be more productive employees. A must-read!"
--Amy Diehl, author of Glass Walls: Shattering the Six Gender Bias Barriers Still Holding Women Back at Work

"Over Work tells the story of a dystopian society in which humans are inputs into just-in-time delivery work shifts controlled by algorithms and mothers are forced to choose between working to feed their children or staying home to care for them. It would make for good sci-fi if it weren't real--but it is. Fortunately for the reader, Brigid Schulte also delves into solutions--public policy and private sector strategies--that point us in a new direction. Over Work is a must-read for anyone who cares about the strength of the American economy and the people who propel it."
--Heather McCulloch, Senior Fellow, Aspen Institute Financial Security Program

About the Author

Brigid Schulte is the author of the bestselling Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time and an award-winning journalist formerly for the Washington Post, where she was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize. She is also the director of the Better Life Lab, the work-family justice and gender equity program at New America. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband and two children.