The Pandemic Is Changing Work Friendships
When offices in the U.S. started shutting down to slow the spread of COVID-19, the telework timelines were optimistically brief. But as companies have extended deadlines and shifted to long-term remote work, employees across many different industries are accepting that the pre-pandemic workplace may be a thing of the past.
In the Before Times, many found respite during long workdays in the company of others. Heather Cody, a 30-year-old employee at an Oklahoman teacher’s nonprofit, loved getting daily lunches with co-workers before she went remote. Two Bay Area tech marketers, one 27 and one 23, regularly convened at their office for tea and tarot readings. (They requested anonymity because their company didn’t approve the interview.) “A lot of my work … is sending out emails,
