The postpandemic economy: How we work

One of the hallmarks of the “age of COVID” has been a sharp rise in the number of people working remotely, as well as the reorganization of much of the work still done in person. Adapting to this reality has set into motion waves of follow-on impacts that flow through much of the economy. Even after we see a retreat from the current level of remote work, some of these changes will likely persist.

More than 30% of respondents to a December 2020 survey said they were working from home every day that month. Postpandemic, many work arrangements may remain remote, driving continued economic impacts.

Currently, most COVID-induced remote work is done on a full-time basis, with employers limiting access to work facilities. Once enough of the population has been vaccinated and business facilities are able to fully reopen, the question will be how much work will continue to be done from home. The results of this “forced experiment” will drive different answers at different organizations and for workers. Where remote work was a success on both sides, many employers and workers may continue with flexible work arrangements that require workers to commute only a few days a week or not at all.

The changing nature of in-person work

Workers who had to show up during the pandemic faced the challenge of protecting themselves, coworkers, and customers, as well as of finding other in-person workers such as child care providers to enable leaving home.

For some types of in-person work, removing the signs of COVID from the workplace will be as simple as removing plexiglass shields. However, other types of in-person work may be fundamentally altered by the process and policy changes and investments that employers made during the pandemic. Changes likely to persist are those that resulted in cost savings as businesses sought to conserve cash early in the pandemic, such as digital investments that reduced the number of employees needed.

Published in permission of Deloitte: https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/insights/economy/covid-19/life-after...

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