THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF WORKING FROM HOME The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life in every sense, particularly for businesses. Offices may never be the same. A variety of data shows that even after the pandemic ends, many companies expect their employees will work from home at least a few days a week. These dramatic shifts could have lasting implications for corporate America. Will competition for office space in urban hubs be less fierce? Will companies still pursue open-office designs intended to encourage collaboration? Or will these changes recede with the pandemic? This isn’t the first time we’ve seen dramatic shifts in the workplace. During the Great Depression in the late 1920s and 1930s, businesses were forced to adhere to new regulations and several new governmental agencies were formed. In the 1950s, jets changed how people traveled. Suddenly, businesses could have face-to-face meetings across countries and continents. Similarly, in the 1980s, cell phones connected people on the go. And in 1991, the world wide web altered every facet of business. The disruption from COVID-19 is perhaps the most sudden, though, particularly for day-to-day life. The pandemic has moved people to remote work, acting as a sort of proving ground for the rising work-from-home movement. And despite the drastic transition, it’s been largely a successful change. “People have definitely proven that they can work from home successfully,” said Rusty Guay, UNI associate professor of management. “So for people that really want to continue doing that in the future
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