Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser for President Joe Biden, said that the United States is heading out of the “full-blown” pandemic phase of Covid-19, in an interview with the Financial Times. Fauci added that he “hoped there would be an end to all pandemic-related restrictions in the coming months, including mandatory wearing of masks.”
The states of Illinois, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, California, Oregon, Delaware and others have loosened mask mandates. The loosening guidelines are signs that the states are changing how they manage the Covid-19 pandemic, as cases from the Omicron surge continue to subside. During Super Bowl LVI, viewers witnessed dozens of celebrities, politicians and athletes not wearing their masks.
This signals that companies have the green light to bring back workers. In a company blog post to employees, written by Chris Capossela, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Microsoft, he said that workers will be coming back to the office with a hybrid work model, effective February 28. Capossela wrote, “From this date, employees will have 30 days to make adjustments to their routines and adopt the working preferences they’ve agreed upon with their managers.”
Based upon “health data, local government guidance, the availability of vaccines and vaccination rates and other considerations,” the tech giant felt the time was appropriate for a return to the office. Microsoft added, “As of February 8, 2022, 83.8% of eligible King County residents—where most of our Washington state employees live—have completed their vaccine series, and 91.6% have received at least one dose.” The tech company, analyzing the data, including “high vaccination rates, along with declining hospitalizations and deaths in the state,” contributed to the decision of getting to this stage of returning to a hybrid work model.
Capossela said in the memo, “Our approach to hybrid embraces schedule flexibility as standard for most roles and provides employees with the opportunity to determine how and where they work best, while making sure an individual’s plans align to the team agreements set with their manager.” The company has committed to empowering Microsoft managers with the necessary “tools and resources to provide employees with the level of care they need during this transition, which includes the ability to approve requests to adjust their work site, location or hours.”
Over the last two years, we’ve seen this story before on a number of occasions. The data around Covid-19 improved and companies called for a return to office, then the Delta variant wave crashed this goal. As Delta waned, Omicron surged, once again scuttling return-to-office plans. This time, however, it feels different. The cases are generally trending downward, and the American public wants to get back to their new type of lives.
It may not be so easy for Microsoft and other businesses that are calling for employees to come back. After two years of remote and some hybrid work, people may push back on being told to return to headquarters. We’ve become accustomed to the routine at home. People thrived by having self-autonomy over the structure of their day. Many found that they prefer to either start working earlier or later in the day. They’ve woven in their life around work, picking up and dropping their children at school, taking a bike ride, walking the dog, attending their kids’ ballet classes, baseball games, concerts and other special important events.
In an office, you don’t have a choice. You’re forced into the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. grind. You’ll now have a boss looking over your shoulder micromanaging your every move. Instead of waking up, brewing coffee, wearing comfy clothes and shuffling to the room you use for working, your well-rounded, balanced lifestyle will be significantly altered, as a two or three hour round-trip commute is required. It’s back to the frigid cold, snow or rain, waiting for the bus, or sweating profusely in a crowded New York subway car in August.
After Microsoft’s announcement, you will likely see a steady procession of proclamations from other high-profile companies telling their staff to return to their offices. It will be interesting to see how people react. Studies show that people say they’ll quit if forced to return to an office setting. This may not be a bluff. Around 4 million people have been joining the Great Resignation on a monthly basis. Those who quit aren’t sitting on the couch watching Netflix. They are finding jobs that offer them what they want, including a choice of working remotely.
Source: Forbes
