The New York Times has indefinitely delayed its back to office date, which was earlier scheduled for September 7, the firm announced on Friday. It is the latest group to do so.
A Sharp Change
Not too long ago, it had seemed like the pandemic would soon stop being a threat, that life would go back to how it used be, and that returning to the office would be inevitable. Fast forward to now, when the list of firms that are delaying their return to office dates, thanks to the raging Delta variant across multiple countries, keeps growing. From Apple and Twitter, to Google and Lyft. The chances of actually having to step back into those workplace cubicles are falling by the day.
This might definitely become a reason to be happy for millions, who were dreading returning to the long work hours and the office. Take, for example, the staff at tech biggie Apple, who had been at loggerheads with the firm’s bosses over the detailed return to office plan that had been laid out for the month of September, until the company finally pushed back the date for the same until October, at least.
Meanwhile, Twitter, which had already returned to on-site work at its New York and San Francisco offices, had announced that it would be shutting those two down immediately, while also pushing back the reopening of other offices. Google too, has pushed back its own dates to at least mid-October, and all the employees will be required to be vaccinated ahead of joining back.
LinkedIn, on the other hand, has granted its staff a golden opportunity, that of working remotely from home on a permanent basis. And now we can add The New York Times to the list, after it indefinitely delayed its back to office date.
The Scenario is Different for All
While many officer-goers must be rejoicing these new developments, one cannot ignore the fact that the same will no doubt hinder the slow return to familiarity and society, that the world was seeing.
At the same time, an article by Mother Jones also tries to shed light on how the white population is at an advantage when it comes to remote work. It highlights the findings by the Economic Policy Institute, which claimed that only one in six Latin workers, and one five Black workers, have access to remote work options, as compared to four out of five White employees.
