A Note from DRF: A question we find ourselves asking right now is what communities will look like and how they will operate in a post-pandemic world. As restrictions are lifted, we may freely move about more but some businesses, organizations and those in the workforce will still struggle to recover for some time to come. DRF asked our friend Ted Abernathy with Economic Leadership LLC to curate some thoughts on the subject from leaders across the United States to help us think about what’s next.

The pandemic forced many employers to suddenly, and for a prolonged period, transition to a work from home model. A forced trial, one could say. Early on, employers seemed to feel that productivity remained as high, or higher, than their previous on-site or hybrid model. Over time, concerns about burnout, mental health, lack of in-person interaction, and even productivity have become more prevalent.

More recent feedback from employers is that they will likely not go back to pre-pandemic on-premises staffing, nor will there be a long-term work from home focus. Rather, employers (that can) will have employees rotate between home and office, such that total headcount working in the office on a given day will be lower than before, with more spacing and creative logistics. This will also force employers to determine which roles are suitable for remote working, and which are best based in the office.

As a result of the pandemic, many individual workers have learned that their proximity to an office is often not important; that in fact, they can live most anywhere. As news reports have indicated, employees (particularly in the tech arena) who are based in cities with high cost of living are fleeing for places that are more affordable, less crowded, and with an overall better quality of life. Smaller communities that may not have large employers or office sites may be well-positioned to benefit from this trend. 

In short, economic development in many smaller communities may pivot from recruiting employers to recruiting employees.