As cases of coronavirus continue to decline in the United States, many businesses have told their employees it's time to return to the office.
Some people are already doing the daily grind, while others are splitting their time between home and the office as part of a hybrid plan.
The office routine was normal for millions of Americans before the pandemic. Now, some two years later, it is regarded as a new normal, after those employees worked full-time from their residences.
Morning Consult, a global business intelligence company, has been polling U.S. consumers about returning to the workplace.
Charlotte Principato, a financial services analyst for the organization, said the latest poll showed 73% of remote workers felt comfortable returning to the office. The remaining 27% wanted to remain at home where, they said, they work more efficiently.
"The return to the office is experienced differently depending on each person's situation," and introverts may have a harder time getting used to it than extroverts, said Debra Kaplan, a therapist in Tucson, Arizona.
She told VOA many people will experience stress adjusting to an office environment after working from home.
Mark Gerald, a psychoanalyst in New York, likens it to a child going to school for the first time.
There's almost childlike anxiety that's related to change and fears of going into the world, he said.
The fears include contracting the coronavirus, as well as being away from family during the workday.
That's true for Imani Harris, a federal government employee in Washington who has two young children.
"I wear a mask at work because I don't feel safe being at the office," she said. "I'd rather be at home because I accomplish more, and get to spend quality time with the kids — plus it's harder financially since I have to spend money on child care."
Topic: Americans are reluctant to fully Return to the Office after Covid (Read 6225 times)
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October 17, 2018, 01:49:43 PM