NASA engineer Jack Niles coined the term “telecommute” in 1973, to first describe the phenomenon of working remotely in America. Decades later, telecommuting or remote work has become more common in today’s society, with millions of professionals working from the convenience of their homes. 

While we saw a significant boom in remote work during COVID-19, the trend is showing signs of slowing down.

Over the past year, fewer companies have promoted remote work as they seek new talent. In addition, the latest LinkedIn report shows fewer businesses posting ads about remote jobs. 

Despite that, many Americans are still looking for remote work, given the associated benefits of telecommuting, such as eliminating daily commutes and flexibility. The report reveals that despite the uncertainty of the current economy, many job seekers are still looking for flexibility and a work-life balance in their next career. LinkedIn’s data shows that over 50% of all applications are making a bee-line for remote jobs despite the fact that there are less and less of them to go around.

In addition, many companies have required their employees to return to the office as the number of COVID-19 cases has decreased. However, many employers and employees, especially those who have come to enjoy working remotely, are now in a conflict.

“So many people started working from home for the first time during the pandemic and they found that they actually like it,” Abha Bhattarai, a Washington Post reporter, told CBS News. “So that’s led to this tug-of-war between employers and employees.”

While employers are pushing for their employees to return to the office, many public health officials are warning the public about the possible “tripledemic.” The tripledemic, according to Yale Medicine, is “a collision of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), flu, and COVID-19 to the extent that it might overwhelm hospital emergency departments.” 

There’s some concern about whether or not companies that don’t necessarily need in-office employees need to stop allowing remote work. Again, this is primarily a potential public health concern if these employers are lax on COVID-19 protocols. 

With America potentially going into another recession, there’s a lot of uncertainty about where remote work will lead, given the battle between advocates of remote work versus employers pushing for the return to in-person work environments.

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