For its part, Google paused its planned January 2022 return to the office. Capital One had targeted November as a return office date, but that same month said it would make that decision next year. Meta FB announced in August it was pushing back office return dates to January. “We’re currently monitoring the situation closely and our return-to-office plans for January 2022 remain,” a Meta spokesman had noted Nov 29.
For employers who already have their staff back in the office, “they are not saying ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, now go back home,’” says Elise Freedman, Korn Ferry’s workforce transformation practice leader.
Freedman, who works with companies on their return-to-office plans, says these employers may first put in place stricter rules for the office, such as requiring that masks be worn in public spaces or limiting the number of staff gathered in conference rooms.