So as the world turns and as outside opens up for all to get their desired dose of “crowds”, there is this lingering order that is swirling around for several people…it’s the: “Return to work” or “Better Together” cheesy slogan that execs are attempting to use to bring their workforce back into the office. Well, for starters, you may want to start by acknowledging that the employees never left work, they have continued to keep the company afloat during a pandemic, so the “Return to Work” slogan may need to be retired. It comes off as a tad bit unappreciative to those workers who transitioned a portion of their homes into an “unfinanced” hub of your company. Kudos to those employees. Now the whole “Better Together”…*insert long drawn out sigh*….what year is this again? The Jetsons were well ahead of their time and even they got it! Me personally, I have seen much more of my coworkers while being at home than I ever did while in the office. Define “together”? If companies were having gatherings and everyone was sitting sitting around singing the latest kid bop jam and eating chips and salsa, then I obviously missed this and so did a heap of others. By together, possibly you mean that you need to see your workforce because seeing them gives you this “warm and fuzzy” of them being productive and working….*side eyeing my work BFF as we wonder how is this thought even possible telepathically*, or maybe together means if you can dictate their daily hours down to the second, then they have been good, stellar employees? No? Then define together for us please…we’re listening. Because honestly, I have seen so much productivity from people this past year than I have ever seen in all of my working years. People were comfortable and focused. They didn’t feel the pressures of the morning traffic, the pressures of leaving their house at 5:30 each morning to be at work at 8 a.m. and make it home at 7 or 8. Kid’s homework and dinner be damned. 

For those execs who are pushing to return to “normal”….newsflash, the old normal is actually “abnormal”. Times changed right before our eyes. For those who insist upon a full workforce, in house , 5 days a week, I can only imagine the quality of your recruiting for years to come. Companies are offering remote or hybrid or a combination of sort as a perk/benefit because they figured out for over a year, they didn’t miss a beat and actually gained more profit and more productive employees. For those who insist on seeing everyone and returning to the “archaic normal”…it’s ok to let go of the need to see people and equate it to success…please read that one more time. The pandemic forced you to do so (let go) and it probably wasn’t that bad. Growth…innovation, sustainability…..are all things that should be assessed when wanting to “return to work” or “return to normal” or whatever catchy phrase one is wanting to use. At the end of the day, do NOT be the company that loses headcount because you refuse to enter the year 2021. The time for meeting about meetings and meeting to hear each other breathe is over. You have to show up online with content or it’s the weird silence. Ahhhhhhhh….work….. Return? We’re here, where exactly are you?