The End of an Era?

DURING THE MORE THAN TWO YEARS that the COVID-19 pandemic blanketed the U.S. economic landscape, millions of workers were able to work in remote or hybrid arrangements. But now, as the COVID pall has lifted, some Fortune 100 companies—including Apple, Disney and Tesla—are expecting their employees to work more days in the office, starting as soon as this month.

The anticipated shift toward more in-person work is creating controversy in corporate boardrooms, with company executives debating the value and effect of the remote and hybrid models that have become the norm over the past two-and-a-half years.

In the coming weeks and months, employers and their employees will have to make decisions that will have significant implications on the future of work, says Roger Martin, business analyst and former dean of the Rotman. “Now a bunch of people who would have never chosen to work remotely not only got used to it, but even started to like it.”