What Will Returning to Work Post COVID-19 Look Like?

Last updated on January 12th, 2025 at 03:19 pm

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

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The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic hit many industries in various unexpected ways, including how and when people return to work after COVID-19. Because of rising cases due to the variants of the COVID-19 virus, employers have had to either delay returning to work or work remotely. There is a big fear of catching the virus when trying to go back to work despite the pandemic not being over yet.

The pandemic helped accelerate remote work and automation trends up to 25% more than previously estimated. Many are finding a need to switch occupations, with jobs that require physical activity being the most disrupted. This caused companies to reevaluate their approach to a new working standard.

Wonder what adjusting to the new normal after the unprecedented pandemic happened? Are you curious about how the pandemic affected how we work? Continue reading our overview of what returning to work might look like after COVID-19.

Staying Home and Not Returning to Work

With the pandemic, a rise in remote working has affected many industries. Organizations have shifted to letting workers stay home, which saw a rise in virtual meetings within companies. Working remotely was a good way to adapt to unexpected changes.

This shift impacted companies that frequently traveled for business. While travel might recover, around 20% of business travel for airlines might not easily return. The acceptance of virtual meetings and business calls shows that you can still be productive without needing to travel.

Expanded Roles When Returning to Work

The view of the employee experience also changed during the pandemic. This led to an expanded role for employers in interacting with employees.

More things like sick leave, adjusted hours of work, and financial assistance will emphasize supporting the mental and physical well-being of a company’s employees. Personal aspects of the worker are being given more significance during harsh times.

Faster Adoption of Automation

With jobs that require high physical proximity, companies will be inclined to invest in automation and A.I. projects. This would reduce the number of human workers for tasks done by automated processes.

Such a thing can work well for areas like warehouses, call centers, and other places that can use fewer people physically working close to each other. Implementing this could help reduce the number of cases of COVID-19 spreading and keep productivity high in changing times.

The Return to Work After COVID

With our overview of what things will be like when returning to work post-pandemic, you’ll see how work after COVID might be different from before. The COVID-19 pandemic changed a lot about how we interact with the world and how we work, with many things possibly not returning to how they were before. But cleverly adapting to the limitations imposed on the world will allow people to return to work after COVID and let companies stay productive.

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