Changes that will be sticky & changes that will snap back post-pandemic

[EDS]

For my office in NYC (private sector), most will not be expected back in until after labor day (and that is not a firm date at this point, just the earliest date the firm is expecting people back). We had a formal work from home program prior to the pandemic, but it was fairly rigid in that people needed to schedule work from home days in advance. When we return, the work from home policy will be significantly relaxed, so I expect that to be a sticky change.

Given that it will be 18 months between my trips to my office, I am very curious to see if any dusting will have occurred during that time period. Also can't remember if I cleaned out my coffee mug before I left.

[bigbill]

My employer is evaluating office and work arrangements as more people are vaccinated. I share a large office/conference room with another manager. In another month, we'll both be fully vaccinated plus two weeks. We will likely not have to wear masks unless we leave the office or someone comes in who is not vaccinated. It won't greatly impact my life, I've always been a "leadership by walking around" person who spends very little time in the office.

But at some point, the CDC should come out with some kind of cluster rules for the fully vaccinated.

[gregl]

My employer is evaluating office and work arrangements as more people are vaccinated. I share a large office/conference room with another manager. In another month, we'll both be fully vaccinated plus two weeks. We will likely not have to wear masks unless we leave the office or someone comes in who is not vaccinated. It won't greatly impact my life, I've always been a "leadership by walking around" person who spends very little time in the office.

But at some point, the CDC should come out with some kind of cluster rules for the fully vaccinated.

We’re having similar dynamics play out at my company. A survey of employees found that 80% have been or planned to be vaccinated. People are already asking when the masks can come off. It will be interesting to see how it plays out for the 20% of employees who are either undecided or don’t plan on getting vaccinated. Depending on potential relaxing of mask/distancing rules for those vaccinated, I wonder if peer pressure will push the anti-vaxxers to submit to the needle(s)?

Greg

[Bingissimo]

It will be interesting to see how it plays out for the 20% of employees who are either undecided or don’t plan on getting vaccinated.

You will see once again the 80/20 rule only this time it will be 80% illness/death in those 20% of people. 80% vaccinated does not adequately meet the herd immunity threshold, especially when factoring in the increased abilities of the new variants to infect and kill.

[bigbill]

We’re having similar dynamics play out at my company. A survey of employees found that 80% have been or planned to be vaccinated. People are already asking when the masks can come off. It will be interesting to see how it plays out for the 20% of employees who are either undecided or don’t plan on getting vaccinated. Depending on potential relaxing of mask/distancing rules for those vaccinated, I wonder if peer pressure will push the anti-vaxxers to submit to the needle(s)?

Greg

My employer is looking at financial incentives to get the vaccine. We're in an industrial park, the companies are in discussions of having shot clinics in one of the larger parking lots. We allow employees time off to get vaccines, for now, there's no financial reason to not get the vaccine. But, the anti-vaxxer force is strong around here.

[caleb]

Ding, Ding, Ding!!! The work from home movement is going to make it that much more clear what jobs are not needed and make it even easier to eliminate them. Robots are coming, but not to take over manual labor jobs, they are coming to take over administrative jobs. If your job involves being on a computer all day, enjoy it while it last. COVID will just make the transition faster.

On this note, General Mills announced today that it's laying off 20% of its corporate workforce: https://www.bizjournals.com/twinciti...rs-charge.html

The Star Tribune reports that General Mills executives told staff the cuts could fall heavily on the company's headquarters, which could see as much as 20% of its workforce of 3,000 eliminated. It's unknown whether attrition or elimination of open jobs would reduce the number of potential layoffs.

The company is also closing offices in Berkeley, Calif., and Austin, Texas, the Star Tribune said. Those locations were formerly the home of two of General Mills' acquisitions: Annie's Homegrown Inc. (bought in 2014) and Epic Provisions (bought in 2016). It's not known how many employees were at each site or whether they'll be able to transfer elsewhere in the company.

There's no mention of a crisis at General Mills. They appear to be firing 20% of their folks simply because they don't think they need them.

I suspect a whole lot more of this is coming as employers get ready for a new normal.

[Saab2000]

I was at the local grocery store and locally at least masks are no longer required. The sign on the front door said, “Masks Recommended For Unvaccinated Customers”. Literally everyone I observed had a mask on. This may take some time to fade. Most people have become accustomed to them and are no longer feeling strange with them.

I suspect usage will fade but I suspect some folks will just keep wearing them indefinitely.

[Bob Ross]

I'm equally surprised and not-surprised at how quickly so many folks here are willing to stop wearing masks.

[Saab2000]

I'm equally surprised and not-surprised at how quickly so many folks here are willing to stop wearing masks.

I’ve enjoyed not getting colds. Some of this may have to do with other factors like living alone and not working at the moment. But OCD levels of hand washing and mask wearing surely have been helpful in warding off common and less harmful bugs.

[swt]

I had to go into urgent care in the clinic (not the ER) yesterday and I decided that for the foreseeable future I will continue to wear my mask in those situations. I too like not being any kind of sick.

[beeatnik]

I’ve enjoyed not getting colds. Some of this may have to do with other factors like living alone and not working at the moment. But OCD levels of hand washing and mask wearing surely have been helpful in warding off common and less harmful bugs.

Anecdata:

My neighbors have had 5 colds in the last two months. Dad, 5 year old and 2 year old (first all 3 then both kids). Dad worked from home the whole pandemic and "never goes anywhere." Daughters were in daycare during most of the pandemic. We're kept up to date because my 5 year is best friends with their 5 year old. "She can't play for a few days; she and her sister have a cold." When I walk by their place I can hear them coughing from the sidewalk. To paraphrase FlashUNC, seasonality and virus interference are a helluvathing.

[Marvinlungwitz]

We’ll wear masks during the influenza season from now onward, I suspect a lot of people will do so.

[sk_tle]

Like we never got rid of influenza for good we will likely never get rid of covid completely. The difference will be how me manage it in the long term so that local outburst are contained and taken care without spreading globally every time.

Some form of mandatory mask when you are.exhibiting respiratory infection symptoms should be the norm and be in the law. The smokers won't like it as they all have some sort of chronic cough but hey, they know what to do.

[beeatnik]

Some form of mandatory mask when you are.exhibiting respiratory infection symptoms should be the norm and be in the law. The smokers won't like it as they all have some sort of chronic cough but hey, they know what to do.

If that's the case, make it an N95.

[echappist]

I’ve enjoyed not getting colds. Some of this may have to do with other factors like living alone and not working at the moment. But OCD levels of hand washing and mask wearing surely have been helpful in warding off common and less harmful bugs.

Anecdata:

My neighbors have had 5 colds in the last two months. Dad, 5 year old and 2 year old (first all 3 then both kids). Dad worked from home the whole pandemic and "never goes anywhere." Daughters were in daycare during most of the pandemic. We're kept up to date because my 5 year is best friends with their 5 year old. "She can't play for a few days; she and her sister have a cold." When I walk by their place I can hear them coughing from the sidewalk. To paraphrase FlashUNC, seasonality and virus interference are a helluvathing.

How is your post of any relevance to Saab2000's post? For one, you didn't even bother make a superficial reference to whether your neighbors wore masks (which, in my opinion, makes your post completely irrelevant). Your post neither addresses the original topic of the thread nor addresses the issues raised by @Saab2000's post (which I'll note is on point to the original post of this thread).

At best, your post is tangential b/c @Saab2000 mentioned colds and your post also mentioned colds. At worst, you are keeping up your personal crusade to let everyone know just how useless masks are. Nevermind that no one here is trying to engage you on the topic at any moment possible, but you seem to have the proclivity to interject yourself into any tangential crevice you see just so that we don't forget what your position is.

You don't want to wear a mask? Fine, go ahead. But at least have the courtesy to give it a month before you harangue about it again. It's quite tiresome.

[beeatnik]

^Yes, they wear masks. We all wear masks. We're in a nice suburb of LA where it's 100% masks, 100% of the time.

Did you miss the part where I called it anecdata. It's just interesting to me as a parent that my neighbors are getting so many colds, now, in LA, Pandemic 2020/21.

[bigbill]

Corporate office overlords are scrambling to prove they are still relative. I've had four zoom calls so far today, and even though they were supposedly "working from home," they all want updates on our current projects, some of which began months ago. On the mask side, we're determining the percentage of vaccinated workers that we must reach before removing masks at work. I'm two months past my second shot.

[echappist]

^Yes, they wear masks. We all wear masks. We're in a nice suburb of LA where it's 100% masks, 100% of the time.

Well then, you should have included that in your original post. Your readers can't assume what you didn't write.

Did you miss the part where I called it anecdata. It's just interesting to me as a parent that my neighbors are getting so many colds, now, in LA, Pandemic 2020/21.

You also did mention that there are toddlers involved. It's here I should probably remind you of the following, which suggests that you are aware that toddlers have difficulty wearing masks properly. So unless you can be certain that the kids wore their masks properly at all times, you are at best insinuating and at worst making a bad-faithed allegation, all the while being aware of another route of spread that you haven't been able to rule out conclusively.

[sailor]

5 colds in 2 months sounds about right for toddler's in day care. When you put undeveloped immune systems fed by small people who put everything into their mouths into the same room germs spread. I think my son had some level of cold basically all winter his first year in daycare.

[beeatnik]

Preschool in 2020/21 is a bit different so it’s tough to untangle. Restrictions are strict in LA preschools but toddlers have adapted to masks. At my daughter’s school early in the Pandemic masks were optional since there was still an expectation that young children wouldn’t tolerate masks well. However, policies have evolved and proper mask use is enforced, along with other reasonable precautions including more frequent hand washing, social distancing contracts and school only footwear.

I should look into whether there have been any hand foot and mouth outbreaks this year; there were 2 in 2019.

5 colds in 2 months sounds about right for toddler's in day care. When you put undeveloped immune systems fed by small people who put everything into their mouths into the same room germs spread. I think my son had some level of cold basically all winter his first year in daycare.