Our Routes Have Changed

In 2019, New York City was an extrovert’s wonderland. The bright lights of Broadway lit up the city that never sleeps. Over 66 million tourists were enraptured by the magic of museums, divine dining experiences and an energy that never seemed to be satiated. For many of us, it was our own utopia. Every day life thrived on intensity, focus and each person being a single puzzle piece in the collage that makes New York City the greatest city in the world. We each had our role to play and our path to get from point A to point B.

A new character was introduced to society: a global pandemic. I was confident that I would be back to the office quickly, leaving behind an extra pair of shoes, an open bag of my favorite snacks and admittedly my laptop. In my mind, the coming days would be dramatic and then life would be right back on its normal track.

New York City became the epicenter of a virulent virus in 2020 and the world collectively closed its doors.

Our tangible interaction with each other instantaneously moved to video conferencing and any form of electronic communication that we could get our hands-on. Our work shifted abruptly and clumsily at times to create a series of new norms. Co-workers and clients were welcomed into our homes via Zoom, a word many of us did not know before COVID-19. We interacted with our friends, families and neighbors with hesitation, considering the consequences of our actions at every turn. We each had our role to play but our road to get from point A to point B was now masked and virtual.

Over a year passed and the world changed. The mentality of work evolved. Desks and conference rooms were replaced with sofas and dining tables. The buttoned-up uniform of corporate life was swapped out for t-shirts and yoga pants. The pandemic forced us all into an 18 month-work-from home program that empowered us to choose the way we work, where we work and how we work. Once proclaimed dead, offices are being resurrected, revamped and retooled to meet the needs of a more flexible workforce. We each had our role to play and now had the choice of how to get from point A to point B, or in this case from the coffee table to the home office.

As we step back into society it can be exhausting, even for an extroverted New Yorker like myself. There is a collective sigh as we all put on our “work” clothes for the first time, hoping that they still fit. We are about to walk into an office that was once familiar but now feels foreign. The comfort of home coupled with the functionality of an office is the new standard for the corporate landscape. Refreshing our “work home” with what we have learned by working from home over the past 18 months is key to the next chapter of our story. Home can be anywhere that you put your laptop, take a phone call or write an email. Our roles may be the same, but the way that we get from point A to point B has dramatically changed.

It is 2021 and the world is reopening. The lights on Broadway are firing up and the energy in New York City is palpable once more. As we gear up for the return to the office, we have the power to change the way we work by using the adaptive nature that we each perfected during lockdown. Just as we have evolved into the new normal, the furniture that we have bonded with at home can easily translate to the corporate environment. Our roles are the same, but now we have a new Route to get from point A to point B.