McKinsey&Company

The news

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Virtual fatigue. A year and counting of remote work is taking its toll, with nonstop video calls contributing to many remote workers’ overall burnout. Some companies have announced upcoming returns to the office for all employees. Others are evolving their policies to accommodate hybrid models that combine working remotely with working in an office. [WSJ]

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Hybrid for the win? The remote technologies that became essential parts of working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic aren’t enough to fulfill people’s very crucial need for human contact, research shows. But while the epidemic of loneliness caused by sustained isolation is very real, companies are considering whether partially remote situations could combine the best of in- and out-of-office work environments. [Atlantic]

“We need to be forward-thinking, embrace the things that we love, change the things that we don’t, and accept the fact that our cultures as we know them have changed forever.”

Our insights

•	Why it matters. Up to one-half of American employees worked from home throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As workplaces figure out which work model—100% in person, 100% remote, or somewhere in between—they’re going to choose after the pandemic, there are lots of issues to navigate.

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Remote done right. McKinsey spoke with Harvard Business School Professor Tsedal Neeley about why remote work is here to stay, how to navigate the enduring challenges of a virtual workforce, and how organizations can build and foster trust and inclusivity in a remote-work environment. Here’s what she had to say.

— Edited by Justine Jablonska

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