Should I stay or should I go? That’s the question for employees around the world who are wondering whether to dig out crumpled suits in the back of their wardrobes or get ready for another month of work on the sofa. Many, particularly frontline and service workers, have valiantly worked throughout the pandemic. For others, the prospect of returning to an office is filled with nerves after 18 months of working from home. How does a normal meeting start without: “You’re on mute?” It feels like all questions and no answers at this stage. Companies such as Amazon, Google and Wall Street banks tried to put a flexible plan in place starting in September: Hot desks, small meetings, rotation days. But the delta variant had other plans. Now, most of these multinational firms have pushed office plans back by months — in some cases until early 2022. I resigned from my role as an editor at Google in the middle of the pandemic. It seems surreal that I used to drive into a fun office — filled with bright colors, free food and really smart people — every single day. It brought pure joy to a corporate role, leading to career highs such as winning the Halloween competition two years in a row. When all that was taken away, my job lost some of its sparkle. Yet it’s hard to imagine going back into an office for long hours every day when I’ve loved the trust that comes with working remotely. It’s comfortable, I’m efficient, and I have lavender tea at home. But it has its own challenges. It’s a true test of my editorial skills to write while Baby Shark plays on loop in the background. A mediocre coffee in a quiet office doesn’t sound half bad anymore, especially a few days a week. I’m not alone in hoping for balance; an IPSOS survey of 12,500 respondents from 29 countries for the World Economic Forum revealed that two-thirds want flexible work to be the norm. And almost a third (30 percent) said that they would consider looking for another job if they were forced to go back to the office full time. Companies have factored these new-age mandates into their plans to lease office space. Real estate consultancy JLL forecasts that corporations will explore hybrid working models in the near future. Sara Hamdan “The bigger picture is work-life harmony and a focus on delivering results; employers should stop the clockwatching culture that comes with paying people just to keep seats warm,” said Avtar Gill, a former partner at recruitment firm GCC Consultancy for 13 years. “On the flip side, managing teams remotely is a different skill set. There’s a big difference between checking up on employees and checking in on them.” Companies have factored these new-age mandates into their plans to lease office space. Real estate consultancy JLL forecasts that corporations will explore hybrid working models in the near future. “In the Kingdom’s office market, with the exception of Riyadh, rental rates continue to ebb as demand for office space remains muted,” said Faisal Durrani, partner and head of Middle East Research at global property consultancy Knight Frank. They project total office stock in Riyadh and Jeddah to reach 5.3m sqm and 1.8m sqm by the end of 2023, presenting a potential supply issue. We’re all facing constant disruption and making it up as we go. As for me, who knows? Next autumn, I could still be sipping lavender tea on my couch ... or back in an office planning to dominate the Halloween charts with the scariest costume of all: A T-shirt that says “2020 SURVIVOR.” • Sara Hamdan is a former Merrill Lynch banker, NYT journalist and editor at Google. She writes on startups, women in business, and post-COVID-19 work trends. Twitter: @SaraHamdan Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News" point-of-view