Analysis & Opinions - The Atlantic

Never Go Back to the Office

| May 19, 2020

The coronavirus killed corporate culture. Get used to working from home.

At least half of the American labor force is working from home, and the question now confronting bosses isn't when their employees can come back to the office but whether they should do so at all. More than two months into the quarantine, coronavirus testing, contact tracing, and treatment protocols are still works in progress in the United States, and a vaccine is still some time away.

Not coincidentally, employers keep pushing back their projected return dates. When offices do return, they may limit themselves—because of state orders or their own concerns about preventing employees from getting sick—to just 25 or 30 percent occupancy. But the quiet part of this dilemma needs to be said out loud now: When should you go back to the office? You shouldn't....

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For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation: Kayyem, Juliette.“Never Go Back to the Office.” The Atlantic, May 19, 2020.

The Author

Juliette Kayyem Headshot

Juliette Kayyem

  • Member of the Board, Belfer Center
  • Belfer Senior Lecturer in International Security, Harvard Kennedy School
  • Faculty Director, Homeland Security Project
  • Faculty Affiliate, Middle East Initiative
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