What is your “new normal”?
The case against remote work being our new normal.
“New normal”. Two words pushed together, yet to be defined, new normal is a phrase already overused and irritating. The theorizing among friends, colleagues and people who study these things, includes ideas like half the workforce will end up never going to the office again, remote education for our kids will become common and we will all change our behavior to wear masks whenever we don’t feel good. I don’t think any of these will happen (although the last one should). Have we learned a thing or two to take with us post pandemic? Sure we have. Is it a blueprint for the future? I’m betting against it. I’m hoping against it. I think humans have a fundamental need to be in each other’s presence and I think we work better that way.
It makes sense we drew those conclusions. Nobody wants to flail around in this uncharted territory and have there be no gain at the end. To exit the pandemic and return to the way things were before could feel like it’s been nothing more than a wasted year. Nobody wants a wasted year. Especially a year where we lost so much. We need a silver lining. We need to gain something. A new and better way of doing things. Right?
Or do we?
I don’t want a “new normal” where everyone works from home. My work isn’t done better…
