As companies unfurl future-of-work plans, speed bumps remain

Even as the world continues to grapple with COVID-19 surges and lagging vaccine uptake, most companies remain in the planning stages of office re-openings.

Over the 18-plus months of the pandemic, corporate plans to swing wide their office doors have have been repeatedly stymied, with most organizations pushing back planned reopening dates — many until next year. Despite the fits and starts, most companies are slowly realizing a hybrid work environment — some employees in the office, others at home — will become a permanent reality.

But some companies refuse to budge, insisting on a return to the pre-COVID-19 workplace. For example, the publishing division of Hearst — which runs newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle, and magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Good Housekeeping — is mandating a return to office. In response, workers last week filed an unfair labor practices charge with the National Labor Relations Board.

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