Every one of us surely has had at least a few Zoom meetings by now. The one great thing is that you only need to dress in “work-appropriate” clothes on your top half. While on the bottom you can wear jeans, sweats… shorts. Working from home (WFH) does have its perks.

Is this the way of working now? Can we exist without seeing our coworkers in one-on-one or team meetings to brainstorm ideas? Some companies think so. Social media icon Facebook is allowing its employees to work from home through the end of 2020 — though the company is working on permanent remote work for its group. Twitter says its employees can work remotely indefinitely. Google told its workers that they should plan on WFH until 2021.

Amazon workers won’t come back to headquarters until at least October. And Microsoft feels staff can make their own decision — most workers either can work remotely or voluntarily return to the offices in stages.

On the other side, tech giant Apple has asked workers back to the office and is reopening many of its stores, in phases. There is also the risk of public transit during these times with social distancing likely lacking.

According to a report by CNBC, working from home is here to stay, which is, in part, due to the fact that many companies have now invested in more laptops, printers and other tools and technology that allow remote work for employees. Think about it: Less people in an office (or even none) means less electricity and water use and more, equaling company savings.

Many businesses, too, do not want the threat of coronavirus inside their doors, putting employees at risk. But how will this affect the job market? Will employers now seek employees who know more than the job would entail, about technology? After all, you need to know how to add apps, work with computer/video connections, have a high-speed internet connection, and more — depending on your job.

It’s also not realistic for store employees to work from home or other service industries. As well, manufacturers who need to be on the floor working to create materials in order for brands to get their products on those store shelves. So as usual, what may be good for some will not be good for all.

With hiccups in certain market supply chains, some technologies can help. This issue reveals how active packaging solutions allow for longer shelf life and safety of the product — in case they get stuck in transport. Looking to expand your business through product development? We also cover a green household company that uses humor, along with simple packaging.

See you on the bright side,

Kristen Kazarian

kazariank@bnpmedia.com