Report: Companies turning tail on return-to-office plans

The pandemic continues to transform traditional notions of work in rather astounding ways. And the data increasingly shows there may be no going back to the old way of doing things.

A new survey published by The Conference Board reveals that nearly half of businesses have not communicated plans for returning to a brick-and-mortar workplace. The survey also finds that just 9% of employees are currently working in an office full time.

And it may be the way for the foreseeable future. The data shows that concerns about contracting COVID-19 and exposing family members to the virus have doubled over the last seven months. Meanwhile, engagement and mental health scores continue to decline.

Major findings—culled from more than 2,000 U.S. workers—include:

Seventy-one percent of companies changed return-to-the-workplace plans due to the recent surges.

Just 9% of survey respondents are in a physical office full time.

According to The Conference Board’s data, COVID-19 concerns have doubled over the last eight months.

Two years into the pandemic, 20% of workers are “not at all comfortable” with the notion of returning to the workplace.