Companies Face the Big Work Question: Return to Office ... or Not?

Sixteen months after the novel coronavirus upended white-collar work, corporate America is moving toward a shift that’s shaping up to be uncertain at best, or chaotic at worst. Vaccination campaigns are approaching their limits, and it appears Covid‑19 will become endemic. That’s led major U.S. companies to coalesce around September to put their new in‑office, hybrid, or remote working plans in action, even as the fast-spreading delta variant adds to the complexities. Beyond deciding where employees should be located, there are the thorny issues of maintaining culture, allowing flexibility, and updating policies so those already hit hardest by the pandemic—women and minorities—aren’t left behind. “Policies have absolutely not caught up with reality, and we don’t yet know what the reality is going to be,” says Laurie Bienstock, a director at consultant Willis Towers Watson.

Although dozens of large corporations have started outlining their expectations, they’re taking a cautious approach on timing. Many won’t start their return-to-office plans until after the U.S. Labor Day holiday, and some haven’t set a date. Concerns about variants and rising infection rates in some areas could push back schedules. Apple Inc. said on July 19 that it would delay the return to the office to October at the earliest because of the global resurgence.