In Person

Humans are wired to connect in person. That simple fact, now uncontroversial scientifically, has far-reaching but ill-understood implications for business. Friendship matters and working together matters even more. Bowling alone is bad enough; working alone is much worse. Despite its adverse implications for creativity and efficiency, remote work is more common than ever before. Yet acting individually to solve the problem is impossible. If only you show up, it’s not a meeting. The challenge is to find the right balance between the undoubted flexibility of working apart and power of proximity. This deftly written book combines hard science and persuasive anecdotes drawn from many case studies to offer well-informed practical advice.

Robert D. Putnam, Professor emeritus, Harvard Kennedy School and author of Bowling Alone

For those with Zoom fatigue, tired of virtual hugs, In Person will be your bestie. It is an engaging volume packed with facts and a must-read for our hybrid world. The most important things in life cannot be done at a distance. Discover why.

Claudia Goldin, Nobel laureate, author Career and Family: Women’s Century-Long Journey toward Equity and expert advisor to the WNBA Players' Association

Emanuel and Harrington have written the definitive book on working from home. It distils a mountain of cutting-edge research into a sparkling, concise narrative. Every business leader who is pondering the new world of remote work should read this book. Every worker who has to make choices about working at home should read this book. This book provides a masterful survey of what we know about working face-to-face and how it changes the trajectory of individual workers and companies. Every manager will learn something here about how to handle in-person and virtual interactions in the workplace. The modern economy runs on information. Emanuel and Harrington have written a terrific book that explains how companies can make their workers as smart as possible by managing social connections and that offices that shape those connections. An office is not just a piece of real estate, it is a tool for information exchange just as vital to the modern economy as the iPhone, Google and ChatGPT.

Edward Glaeser, Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard University and NYT bestselling author of Triumph of the City

This is a crucial book for this moment. A creative and innovative culture requires real connectivity, serendipitous encounters, mentorship, and face-to-face interactions. . . Especially as we enter an era of AI, when emotional connections will become even more valuable, we need this clarion call to get back to working in person.

Walter Isaacson, NYT bestselling author of Steve Jobs and The Greatest Sentence Ever Written

A powerful and vivid demonstration of the importance of proximity, with valuable lessons about work, connection, and the human species. Don't miss it.

Cass R. Sunstein, Robert Walmsley Professor, Harvard University, and NYT bestselling author of Nudge

At a time when organizations are still redefining what work looks like, In Person offers an important and thoughtful examination of the power of human connection in driving learning, innovation, trust, and performance. Natalia Emanuel and Emma Harrington move beyond slogans and debates to provide leaders with research-backed insights on how proximity, collaboration, and workplace design shape organizational success. This is a timely and valuable read for any leader navigating the future of work.

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President and CEO, SHRM

The debate over where we work — in the office or remotely — has generated far more heat than light. Into that gap step Emanuel and Harrington, who rigorously assess the evidence wherever it leads and in its full complexity. Their finding that remote work can quietly degrade quality deserves attention, as do their well-founded recommendations for how to design and implement hybrid work effectively. This book is a massively important contribution to how we should design workplace policies.

Peter R. Orszag, PhD, CEO and Chairman of Lazard