Remote Work May Now Last for Two Years, Worrying Some Bosses

[mahatmakanejeeves]

BUSINESS | MANAGEMENT | MANAGEMENT & CAREERS

Remote Work May Now Last for Two Years, Worrying Some Bosses

The longer that Covid-19 keeps people home, the harder it may be to get them back to offices; ‘There is no going back’

By Chip Cutter
https://twitter.com/ChipCutter
[e-mail]
Aug. 22, 2021 5:30 am ET

With the latest wave of return-to-office delays from Covid-19, some companies are considering a new possibility: Offices may be closed for nearly two years.

That is raising concerns among executives that the longer people stay at home, the harder or more disruptive it could be to eventually bring them back.

Many employees developed new routines during the pandemic, swapping commuting for exercise or blocking hours for uninterrupted work. Even staffers who once bristled at doing their jobs outside of an office have come to embrace the flexibility and productivity of at-home life over the past 18 months, many say. Surveys have shown that enthusiasm for remote work has only increased as the pandemic has stretched on.

“If you have a little blip, people go back to the old way. Well, this ain’t a blip,” said Pat Gelsinger, chief executive officer of Intel Corp. , whose company has benefited from the work-from-home boom. He predicts hybrid and remote work will remain the norm for months and years to come. “There is no going back.”

Return dates have been postponed repeatedly. On Thursday, Apple Inc. told corporate employees that its planned return to U.S. offices would be delayed until at least January. Companies such as Chevron Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. have postponed September returns, while tech companies such as Amazon.com Inc. and Facebook Inc. have pushed them to early next year. Lyft Inc. said it would call employees back to its San Francisco headquarters in February, about 23 months after the ride-sharing company first closed its offices.

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[RicROC]

1. back to the old days?

One astute teacher commented that neighborhoods used to include small businesses (bakeries, laundromats, tailors, barbers, etc) but have been zoned out of residential neighborhoods, creating loss of 'sense of community'. Has this resulted in the increase in crime and lack of security?

With more people working from home, it's the beginning for people spending more time in their own communities/neighborhoods. Maybe it's also time to relax the zoning codes to allow for more at-home businesses...like in the old days.

[JustAnotherGen]

2. I'm in the Tech Sector

But manufacturing side - our clients are listed in the article. We came back in house on July 6th - but I think with our clients delaying until next January - we won't be here in this 'mode' much longer.

[Warpy]

3. They must hate having nobody around to boss

Companies need to look at productivity statistics. They might find many employees are much more productive after they've slept in for an hour or so instead of spending that hour on the road, in traffic. Long commutes leave workers frazzled when they get there, anxious when it's close to time to leave and that has got to have put a dent in their work.

[Auggie]

4. Screw the bosses. Imagine the savings from not having to commute.

Parking, bridge tolls, gasoline/electricity, repairs, rail and bus fairs, tailpipe emissions ...