The Future of the Office, with a New Afterword by the Author - by Peter Cappelli (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A GLOBE & MAIL BEST BUSINESS BOOK OF 2021

Now with an updated introduction and a new afterword by the author

The COVID-19 pandemic forced an unprecedented experiment that reshaped white-collar work and turned remote work into a kind of "new normal." A little over a year into the pandemic, with vaccines more widely available, employers began to think about bringing employees back to the office. Both employers and employees had great trepidation about what the future held.

Into this fraught moment stepped Wharton professor Peter Cappelli with The Future of the Office, which provided employers and employees with guidance as they faced urgent decisions with limited information. Cappelli's insights have proven remarkably prophetic and provide valuable insights for those wrestling with these issues today.

In an updated introduction, Cappelli reminds readers where we were at that historical inflection point and what was at stake. He offers insight into what today's readers can take away from the book and why the questions raised a year into the pandemic still apply today.

In an all-new afterword, Cappelli shares what we have learned since the book first published. Employers, he says, have failed to grapple with the hardest challenges about remote work and remain in a state of indecision, often prioritizing financial results over employee well-being. Employees want to keep remote work in the mix, but evidence shows that these arrangements are not working as well as the in-person alternative.He offers insights that have the potential to positively transform the way we work. But he cautions that the challenges--and our questions about what works--are sure to linger for a long time.

Whether you're an executive crafting company policy, a manager leading hybrid teams, or an employee navigating this shifting landscape, The Future of the Office provides a unique lens for understanding the pandemic's impact on work and the strategic choices that lie ahead.

Review Quotes

""A slender but thorough guide to the issues associated with the hybrid office.... It has the currency of an in-depth newspaper article with the depth of a human resources expert.""-- "Harvey Schachter, "The Best Business Books of 2021," The Globe and Mail"

""The pandemic, economic crisis and social upheaval we've experienced taught us many things about adaptation, resilience, and empathy. It also taught us that the ways in which we have worked, with whom, and where are not defaults. With significant numbers of workers yearning for, and often opting for, a different way to blend work and personal lives, we need to rethink the work world and the 'contract' between workers and employers. That is not an easy task; the companies that get this new hybrid, evolving, flexible work world right will have a better shot at attracting and retaining the talent that gives them the competitive advantage they need. Cappelli's new book lays out the framework for exploring what this brave (and perhaps better) new world might be; it should be required reading.""-- "Rebecca L Ray, Ph.D. Executive Vice President, Human Capital, The Conference Board"

About the Author

Peter Cappelli is the George W. Taylor Professor of Management at the Wharton School and director of Wharton's Center for Human Resources. He is also a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and since 2007, is a Distinguished Scholar of the Ministry of Manpower for Singapore.

Cappelli's recent research examines changes in employment relations in the United States and their implications. Cappelli writes a monthly column on workforce issues for Human Resource Executive Online and is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and the Harvard Business Review. His books include Fortune Makers: The Leaders Creating China's Great Global Companies (with Michael Useem, Harbir Singh, and Neng Liang); Why Good People Can't Get Jobs: The Skills Gap and What Companies Can Do About It; The India Way: How India's Business Leaders Are Revolutionizing Management (with Harbir Singh, Jitendra Singh, and Michael Useem); and Managing the Older Worker: How to Prepare for the New Organizational Order (with Bill Novelli). The Future of the Office was named a best business book for 2021 by Toronto's Globe and Mail. His latest book is Our Least Important Asset: How the Relentless Focus on Finance and Accounting Hurts Employees and Business.

Cappelli was recently named by HR Magazine as one of the top 5 most influential management thinkers and was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources. He received the 2009 PRO award from the International Association of Corporate and Professional Recruiters for contributions to human resources, the 2022 Michael Losey Award from the Society for Human Resource Management for excellence in research, and an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Liege in Brussels. He served on the Global Agenda Council on Employment for the World Economic Forum and a number of advisory boards.

Cappelli has degrees in industrial relations from Cornell University and in labor economics from Oxford, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. He has been a Guest Scholar at the Brookings Institution; a German Marshall Fund Fellow; and a faculty member at MIT, the University of Illinois, and the University of California at Berkeley.