For much of the pandemic, a familiar ritual played out in America’s workplaces: Companies set return-to-office dates, only to later backtrack and delay them due to health concerns, the Wall Street Journal reported. With COVID-19 cases on the rise once again and U.S. authorities warning of a potential surge in infections this winter, employers find themselves questioning their approaches again. Companies like Apple Inc. are delaying January office returns, while others say that they are sticking with their reopening targets. Some, like Salesforce.com Inc., are abandoning dates altogether and urging managers to find ways to meet with their teams in the coming weeks. A few, like Allstate Corp., are telling the vast majority of workers they can stay remote permanently, while keeping some offices open for those who want to gather. The varied strategies reflect much continued uncertainty about the pandemic’s trajectory, along with the unclear fate of the Biden administration’s vaccine and testing mandate that has been temporarily blocked by a federal appeals court. A shift in thinking is also coloring corporate decisions. Many executives increasingly say that companies, like society, might need to better live with a virus that shows no sign of disappearing. They say that means moving forward with office reopening plans or managing alternate arrangements to get teams together.
