The workPLACE continues to evolve based on the pandemic. If you have your eyes set on returning to work following caregiving, the place you may work may be your own guest room or home office.
During 2020, Untapped Potential Inc. returned a number of Candidates to their caliber, for example, CMO, PR Director, VP of Sales, VP of Technology, Sales Associate, Technology Project Manager and more, right from their own homes! They may never have set foot in the office location or in some cases went in for occasional team meetings after nearly a year of work-from-home (wfh). Stay-at-home Mom's (SAHM's) became wfh professionals - along with their kids and partners all sharing the wifi.
The article by Peter Grant of WSJ shares that Americans are dining again in restaurants, attending sporting events, and flying throughout the country. But most are still steering clear of their office building, a sign that more than health concerns are keeping workers away.
"Thousands of companies that closed offices in March 2020 have yet to announce return plans." David Paul Morris/Bloomberg News
The article highlights that as restrictions fade, folks are going out and doing more but are not raising their hands to return-to-the-office. Many companies did surveys, and so far, they have listened.
"Only a third of U.S. employees have returned to the office, as workers prefer remote and companies fear ordering them back..." Peter Grant, WSJ
Telecommuting had existed since the early 1990's and the advantages were well document to include: reduced commute times, pollution, carbon footprint, stress and other advantages, it is surprising that by circa 2020 very little were taking advantage of it. In fact companies like Yahoo and IBM, who had large scale telecommuting programs had phased them out and rounded employees back to their cubicles.
Millions of office employees who fled business districts again in in December after the Omicron variant surged continue to work at home, despite the plummeting rate of Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations. Remote work remains the more popular option even as a number of states have announced plans to roll back restrictions... Read full WSJ article titled People Are Going Out Again, but Not to the Office By Peter Grant from February 14, 2022
Also, see the buzz about it as readers weigh in on in a LinkedIn recap.