The daily death toll from COVID has finally dipped below March 2020 levels. In May, the U.S. public health emergency will expire. In most places, life looks pretty normal. Movie theaters, airplanes, restaurants and gyms are crowded. If families gather outside, it’s probably because the weather is nice, not because they’re trying to avoid getting sick.
But one place — the office — still hasn’t been fully repopulated. Even as inflation has soared, interest rates have risen and layoffs have been announced — all developments that might make remote workers feel insecure and inclined to put in more facetime — badge-ins at offices remain only half of 2019 levels. And even when people do show up, some don’t stick around for the full day. Instead, they do a quick “coffee badge,” swiping in, saying hi to colleagues and then heading back home to finish their work.
Many corporate leaders say workers aren’t engaged enough in their jobs, and they point to remote work as the cause. The solution, they say, is obvious: Tout the benefits of structure and facetime with colleagues, and if that doesn’t bring people back voluntarily, simply command employees to return to their desks.
