In Person

The science
of harnessing
in-person work.

The data instead of the drama.

In Person book cover by Natalia Emanuel and Emma Harrington

For the first time in history, millions of workers can do their jobs from anywhere — and the result is the most contentious workplace debate in generations. Employees fight to protect their freedom. CEOs issue return-to-office mandates by gut instinct. Everyone argues, but no one has the data. Until now.

Harvard-trained economists Natalia Emanuel and Emma Harrington are leading researchers on remote and in-person work. They've spent years tracking millions of work hours across industries — Fortune 500 companies, startups, tech, call centers. Their findings? Remote work is good for crossing tasks off a to-do list, but it erodes the quality of our work, stifles creativity, and hurts mental health. When we're together, brain-to-brain synchrony increases 10×, accelerating creativity, mentorship, and innovation.

Working side-by-side can supercharge company performance. But many office policies miss this mark, focusing on butts in seats instead of brains in sync. In Person offers tactical steps to make the most of in-office time, covering:

  • How to calculate the right number of on-site days for your organization
  • The playbook for preserving employee flexibility without losing the power of being together
  • Why some RTO mandates fail spectacularly — and how to succeed

After years of confusion, animosity, and conflicting mandates, In Person finally delivers the answers in a clear, evidence-based roadmap for making smarter decisions with your most valuable resource: your people.

Pre-order the book

Choose your favorite bookseller or listen on your favorite app.

Amazon→Barnes & Noble→Books-a-Million→Bookshop→Powell's→Audible→Spotify→Libro.fm→
Kobo→Apple Books→Google Play→Chirp→

Praise

"In Person is essential reading for anyone who leads a company or a team today. This is the first book on remote work to bring systematic research to answer the question of when being face to face matters most – and when it doesn't. Combining riveting stories and rigorous research, Emanuel and Harrington elaborate the human dynamics of proximity and show why face-to-face interactions cannot be replaced for some of our most important work."

—Amy EdmondsonNovartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, author of Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well

"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 IsaacsonNew York Times bestselling author of Steve Jobs and The Greatest Sentence Ever Written

"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 GoldinNobel laureate, author of Career and Family: Women's Century-Long Journey toward Equity, and expert advisor to the WNBA players' association

"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. SunsteinRobert Walmsley Professor at Harvard University, bestselling author of Nudge and author of The Price of Happiness: Behavioral Economics and Willingness to Pay

"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

"This deftly written book combines hard science and persuasive anecdotes drawn from many case studies to offer well-informed practical advice."

—Robert D. PutnamProfessor emeritus, Harvard Kennedy School and author of Bowling Alone

"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, PhDCEO and chairman of Lazard

"Natalia Emanuel and Emma Harrington skillfully combine storytelling and cutting-edge research approaches into a book that is both fun and important."

—Steve LevittBestselling author of Freakonomics

"Natalia Emanuel and Emma Harrington make a persuasive, engaging, and research-backed case for the enduring value of in-person work. A must-read for managers, leaders, and anyone curious about what we gain when we work together face-to-face. Read it by yourself on your couch if you must. Then get back out into the world."

—Seth Stephens-DavidowitzNew York Times bestselling author of Everybody Lies

"Emanuel and Harrington have written the definitive book on working from home. It distills 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."

—Edward GlaeserFred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard University and New York Times bestselling author of Triumph of the City