COVID-19 has brought unprecedented human and humanitarian challenges. Many companies have risen to the occasion, actingswiftly to safeguard employees and migrate to a new way of working.

Before the pandemic, the practice had been that offices were critical to productivity and talent. Several companies focused onsolutions to promote collaboration.

During the pandemic, many people have been surprised by how quickly and effectively technologies for videoconferencing and other forms of digital collaboration were adopted. For many, the results have been better than imagined.

According to a research conducted recently, the majority of people questioned reported that they enjoyed working from home. A substantial percentage said that they were more productive than they had been before. Many employees liberated from long commutes and traffic congestions have found more productive ways to spend that time, enjoyed greater flexibility in balancing their personal and professional lives and decided that they prefer working at home rather than at the office.

Before a vaccine is available, the office experience probably won’t remain as it was before the pandemic. Many companies will probably require employees to wear masks at all times, redesign spaces to ensure physical distancing, and restrict movement in congested areas. As a result, attitudes toward offices will probably continue to evolve.

Will there be less mentorship and talent development? Has working from home succeeded only because it is viewed as temporary, not permanent? Every organization is different, and so are the circumstances of every individual employee.

Many have enjoyed this new experience while others are fatigued by it. Sometimes, the same people have experienced different emotions and levels of happiness or unhappiness at different times. The productivity of the employees who do many kinds of jobs has increased; for others it has declined. Many forms of virtual collaboration are working well; others are not. Some people are getting mentorship and participating in casual, unplanned, and important conversations with colleagues. Othersare missing out.