Speaker 1:

By 2005, Google had become the top choice of college graduates as a place to work. Its new office buildings were renown for their employee perks, gourmet food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, concierge service, bring your dog to work, space for napping, you name it.

Speaker 1:

The fact that it had such terrific benefits had a purpose to keep employees at the office. This was not only because they'd be working more, but also because their interactions with each other spark new ideas and innovations that were incredibly valuable to the company.

Speaker 1:

Yet in May 2021, Google announced the sharp shift in the other direction. 20% of employees could work from home permanently. Another 20% could work remotely, as long as they were tied to a Google location elsewhere. The remaining 60% could work someplace other than their office two days a week, and for a month out of the year they could work anywhere in the world. The takeaway here is, get the workforce out of the office.

Speaker 1:

So what this book is about is trying to get a sense as to why Google and other companies are doing that. And, what are the right choices to make with respect to work from home?