The workplace of the office of the knowledge economy underwent a sudden reorganization during the last plus year. At its peak, not long ago, the pre-vaccinated office workforce operated more from home than from the traditional office, roughly ten times higher than pre-pandemic rates. According to the University of Chicago, as of March 2021, 45% of labor services were still performed in home settings. This begs the question: will office work ever go back to the way it used to be with workers committed to long hours away from family in bustling office buildings reached through heavy traffic? And if so, why?

Whether the COVID-19 pandemic has inadvertently ushered in a paradigm shift in the way work is distributed in the long run remains to be determined. Without a doubt, it will be one of the interesting trends to observe in the coming years. At present, a look at some of the currently available indicators, although scarce, seem to show some degree of change in the way the operation of work is carried out may be with us for the foreseeable future.

It is fair to assume that most management wishes to return to normal times, during which the managerial practices of which they were accused can be resumed. If there is going to be a more permanent realignment to include more flexibility, such as remote work activity, it probably won’t come willingly from supervisors. To dust off that old 20th century business expression, it will come from the bottom up.

A Microsoft WorkLab report from earlier this year reveals some relevant findings. Nearly three quarters of employees want an option to work remotely. Although remote work has its drawbacks, many workers have found that productivity can still be maintained through technological means in a comfortable environment with less stress and less burnout. According to this report, among office workers there has been a demand for a more permanent flexible, distributive, mixed or hybrid production model.

Older Gen Z and younger Millennials make up a cohort that can be informative here. Living and working from devices is second nature to them. It is reasonable to expect that the drive for greater flexibility will come from them. If their resumes and LinkedIn profiles start to show more measurable accomplishments stemming from remote work, they will not only be communicating that they can do it, but that they want to be hired for positions that honor those skills. Balancing productivity with well-being in the modern age will only grow as a necessary calibration, and younger workers are likely to lead the way in the context of adaptive work styles.

Companies do not need to be led into this kick-and-scream transformation. Signs are emerging among the C levels that show an acknowledgment of the changes likely to come. A Work Trend Index survey conducted by Edelman Data & Intelligence reveals that 66% of business leaders are considering remodeling office space to allow for greater flexibility. The reasons are two. As hinted at earlier, the workforce appears to be increasingly desiring flexibility in the workplace. This could probably become an incentive to attract the necessary talent that does not want to be bound by traditional institutional rules. Additionally, companies are identifying some benefits as a result of the Covid-induced remote work experiment in terms of lower overhead, as reported by NPR, and increased productivity, as stated by the Harvard Business Review.

Multiple variations of a hybrid model are likely to be established in the future, incorporating combinations of conventional office-centric requirements with increased distributed or remote work options for employees. Although no one could have reasonably predicted that a congruence of modern communication technologies with a global pandemic would fuel this trend, the result could ultimately be a boon to workers and their bosses. Let’s hope employers seriously consider these changes.