How to fix our broken offices

The internet hasn't liberated us. It has shackled us.

Vacation office
(Image credit: (iStock))

Once upon a time, the internet was going to free us from the office. Everyone was going to telecommute and videoconference. The office would become not only paperless, but virtual. We wouldn't have to spend all that time fuming in traffic, or sweating underground in a packed, overheated subway car. We wouldn't have to spend half our waking lives in a sterile cubicle. We'd work more comfortably, efficiently, and productively — all without leaving our homes.

That didn't happen. Instead, the internet has chained us to the office.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.