By: Derek Caswell
Over the past few years many of the normalacies in life have changed.  Masks, for example, are now a normal fashion accessory, and having temperatures being taken as we enter buildings is now a part of our morning routines.  However, there is one thing that has been significantly impacted due to the COVID outbreak, and that is where we do our work.  

Many people across the world have had their daily lives changed. In many cases, the commute to work or school is now a simple walk to the kitchen to start our morning coffee!  People have been working from home for about a year and half now and, from what I’ve seen online, have enjoyed the change.  

However, work routines are starting to go back to what they were before. Thankfully, through vaccinations and the hard work being done in the medical field we seem to be moving back to the “normal” lifestyle.  

People online are expressing their dislike of having to go back to working in an office.  Many of them seem to really enjoy working remotely and having the luxury of not having to be in an office.  Many Gen Z/Millennials who entered the workforce are making jokes about finding a new job after receiving the email about returning to the office.  According to bloomberg.com, when surveying around 1,000 adults nearly 40% of them said they would consider resigning if they’re supervisors weren’t flexible about working remotely.  When concentrating those results to include just Gen Z/Millennials, the number jumps to nearly 50%. 

As someone who has gotten used to doing a lot of work from home, I definitely understand the struggle.  There’s just something special about waking up ten minutes before a meeting and logging in while sipping your morning coffee on your couch.  At first, it did feel a little weird to be inside one building all day instead of going to school/meeting in person.  Sometimes I wonder why we even had to go in person in the first place.  Need to have a group meeting? Great, let’s all hop on a call in 10 minutes and discuss everything.  You can stay in your pajamas while watching the newest episode of “Love Island” from last night.  

Now, I have to wake up earlier, think about an outfit, and make sure I have enough time to get to my destination.  This all sounds ridiculous right?  Who knew it would take a pandemic to make people appreciate the small things in life.  But, eventually routines will return to normal again and we will have to go back to working in person full time.  I’m curious as to how this time will affect “office” culture with what is or isn’t allowed.  With graduation in just a couple of months, I’m excited to enter a world that is somewhere in between.  It will make the first couple of years interesting to say the least.