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The Real Cost of Going Back to the Office
New work structures could increase the wealth gap in America
I slipped into my go-to pair of black patent leather stilettos and my pin-striped blazer. How did I wear this all the time before the pandemic? Nevertheless, I was excited. I had my first real in-person interview to market my company’s new product, and I was ready to get going with “normal” life. I grabbed the car keys and headed out the door. Even stepping outside in real clothes was exhilarating.
According to a study by the Pew Research Center, 71% of Americans worked from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. Universities shifted to online education, late-night television hosts told monologues in their living rooms, and many other employees in other types of work just made it work. After most workers finally figured out how to work from home, Covid-19 restrictions are beginning to lift. Many of those workers are now being asked to go back to the office.
It should be an exciting thing, right? We all get to wear our “normal” clothes, see people in person, gossip around the water cooler, and do all the things we have been missing over the past months. However, going back to work incurs a cost. Workers returning to the office will have a multitude of costs added to their plate, both physical and emotional. And the startling…
