The pandemic ushered in a two-year experiment of mass remote working that employees don't want to give up for myriad reasons, but one of the biggest factors is not wanting to return to workplace culture, Emma Goldberg writes. Goldberg explores how the office was never a place of belonging for some, including people of color, introverts and those with caregiving responsibilities, and talks to experts who warn employers about inadvertently taking those noninclusive elements forward with hybrid working.

United Airlines reportedly plans to allow unvaccinated employees who applied for exemptions to return from leave, or to their customer-facing jobs, on March 28. The airline has said it will regularly evaluate its policy, which requires all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, based on infection rates.

An analysis by the American Psychological Association indicates that a majority of Americans are feeling levels of stress that are higher than ever. The 3,012-person Stress in America poll found that inflation, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict are major contributors to adults' stress, and that people feel worn down by the ongoing succession of crises over the past two years.

Productive hybrid meetings require everyone to have the right technology and training, and it doesn't hurt to let remote participants speak first, write meeting scientist Joseph Allen and Speaker Dynamics CEO Karin Reed. "Hybrid meetings require an intentional approach, but it's not just good business; it's likely a retention tool," they write.

"Workcations," which are trips in which work and leisure time are combined, are popular after two years of the pandemic. Remote-work skills that people have developed can help, and some companies don't mind where workers are so long as they stay productive.

I was doing “workcations” before the term was coined. The first was in 2008 when my cousin got married on Maui and we all traveled home to help with the event. I was picking plumeria for the lei when I got a call from one of my sales reps asking for help on a program. I put my bucket down and called up to my uncle -- who was in a tree picking flowers -- to let him know I needed to take a call. He just nodded. Minutes later I was back with my bucket and flower blossoms.

Workcations can work provided workers are honorable with their time. I usually keep hard lines between family time and work time. (The example above was an exception.) Honoring those lines help make sure that family -- especially my mother -- and employer can count on me.

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