Has COVID-19 Forever Changed Work Culture in America?

Benefits 

Remote Work Increases Productivity 

Many businesses are skeptical about allowing their employees to work from home because they believe it may lower their productivity. However, research has proven the opposite. 30% of people surveyed by the University of Chicago claimed that they were more productive from home than they were at the office. Additionally, many other studies have proven that people who work remotely spend less time being unproductive and are 47% more productive. Perhaps this is because they are in a more comfortable environment or maybe it is a benefit of no commuter time. Without the need to drive to the office every morning, people get to sleep in longer and can work longer hours at home. Not having to participate in the early morning wake-up calls and long drives to the office has made many employees more refreshed and ready to begin their day. 

Employees Have More Time with Family 

The traditional 9 am – 5 pm office job allows little time for employees to spend quality time with family. Workers get up in the morning, say hi to their children or spouse, and commute to the office. After a long day at work, the worker drives back home, share a meal with their family, and then if they have children, it is time for them to go to bed. This gives the employee only a few hours a day to spend with the ones they care about. When employees work from home, they no longer have to waste time driving back and forth from the office and get to spend that extra time with their families. 

Unintentional Downsides 

With fewer people going into the office some things that used to be necessities are no longer needed. Since people work from home, there are fewer occasions where they need to dress up in business attire. This unintentionally hurts stores that sell business wear and dry cleaning companies. Moreover, with no need for an office, commercial property owners cannot get their spaces filled. 

Challenges for Business Attire Stores and Dry Cleaners

Work attire policies have loosened since working remotely has popularized. If you and your family are the only ones that see you, then there is little point to dress up for work. There are occasions when people need to get on video calls in professional wear, but many of them just put on a nice shirt and wear jeans or pajama bottoms below since the camera only sees the waist up. Due to this, fewer people are buying professional clothing or need them dry cleaned. Approximately 1 in 6 dry cleaners have gone bankrupt or closed due to remote work caused by the pandemic. Additionally, Brooks Brothers, a well-known business attire store filed for bankruptcy in 2020 due to the lack of need for professional clothing. While business is getting better, it is unlikely that sales will ever be as high as they were before COVID-19 for business attire stores and dry cleaners. 

Challenges for Commercial Property Owners 

With no need to go to the office every day to work, fewer businesses need to purchase leases. This has hurt many commercial property owners who make an income off of businesses leasing from them. Not only are they having trouble filling their spaces, but businesses that are looking to lease are requesting different amenities. Before, many businesses wanted spaces with gyms and social spaces but, now, they want good air quality and space for social distancing. Therefore, older office spaces that cannot fulfill the safety request are struggling. 

While there are some benefits to this new way of working, there are also some downsides. As the pandemic moves further behind us perhaps the businesses that are hurting will improve, but there is always the chance that it will get worse. Whatever happens, one thing is for certain, COVID-19 has made an impact on traditional work culture.