The 10-Second Commute - New Realities of Virtual Work

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.

List of contents

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

About the author

Terri R. Kurtzberg, PhD, is associate professor of management and global business at Rutgers Business School Newark and New Brunswick, NJ.

Product details

• Authors: Mason Ameri, Terri Kurtzberg
• Publisher: ABC-Clio, LLC
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.10.2022
• EAN: 9781440878800
• ISBN: 978-1-4408-7880-0
• No. of pages: 200
• Dimensions: 161 mm x 240 mm x 15 mm
• Weight: 470 g
• Subject: Social sciences, law, business > Business > Miscellaneous