Six Ways Your Office Will Be Different in 2021 | The Washington Post

Although the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is still underway, “return-to-office” planning has gained heightened attention as vaccinations get increasingly distributed. As firms contemplate what the office’s future will look like in a post-COVID-19 world, this article provides six predictions on how things will be different in 2021. They include 1) As recruiting and remote work go national, some salary ranges will too. 2) Video chats will get smarter — and, potentially, creepier — thanks to artificial intelligence. 3) The new “hybrid” workplace will have more time constraints than you think. 4) The social bubble will come to the office. 5) Many employers will ask if workers have been vaccinated — even if they don’t require it. 6) Part-time arrangements will make a comeback. Regarding #1, it will be interesting to see how firms answer: * Do salaries need to be adjusted for cost-of-living (COL) differences as workers move out of high COL areas? * As talent becomes more of a national marketplace, will we take more of a “national approach” about pay decisions? * Or, will it be a mix of both? Willis Towers Watson survey data show that 26% of respondents said they would base compensation on remote workers’ location. Although these are complex decisions involving multiple variables, firms’ should consider and answer these questions as part of their talent strategy.