It is unfortunate that the Philippines is, once again, posting record-number new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections even as it rolls out its own vaccination program. Besides the obvious toll the illness has on families, this surge is also throwing a wrench into whatever recovery plans businesses may have put in place amidst a struggling economy. Moody’s Analytics expects our economic recovery won’t begin in earnest until the fourth quarter of this year. We still have a long way to go to get there, but business leaders can continue preparing their organizations now so that they can thrive in a post-Covid-19 environment.

Part of that preparation is understanding what a post-Covid-19 workplace will look like. Even before the pandemic hit, there was already a growing trend towards more remote work. The health crisis only served to accelerate that shift. Now, more than a year into our lockdown, businesses have more or less adjusted to having a distributed network of employees who rely on various digital tools to stay connected and to collaborate. And even though this work-from-home arrangement has not been without its challenges, business leaders have to accept the fact that employees do not want to return to the old normal. Not completely, at least.