The Remote Work Era Is Sunsetting - And So Much More Than That Is Changing

Working out at home | © CreateHerStock LLC

There’s a shift happening, and you can feel it. Could be the Mercury retrograde. Could be the slow but steady unraveling of everything companies said mattered in 2020.

First, DEIBA programs started disappearing. Now, remote work is fading out with them. This trend mirrors the recent rollback of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility (DEIBA) programs across various organizations. Notably, companies like Amazon and Walmart have scaled back their DEI commitments, reflecting a broader shift in corporate priorities. Similarly, the initial surge in remote work during the pandemic is now receding, with firms like Amazon enforcing return-to-office mandates, signaling a sunset of the remote work era.

And then there’s Target: where a 40-day boycott was floating around after backlash over its diversity and inclusion efforts. A classic example of how some Black business owners now view (in hindsight, of course) Target’s DEI commitments over the years as window dressing and woke optics. Another corporate shift that mirrors what’s happening with remote work - where the initial energy and bold statements have quietly been replaced with backpedaling and “restructuring.”

We’ve seen this before. Corporate priorities change, and the things that once felt like a movement quietly sunset when leadership decides it’s time to "get back to business as usual."

The pandemic changed how we work, and employees adjusted their lives. They carved out offices in corners of their homes - or the dining room table - to accommodate their jobs. Some moved across the country, finally choosing where they wanted to live instead of where their job dictated. Parents, like me, appreciated being home in the mornings when our kids left for school - and there when they got home. Being able to drop them off when they woke up late (SMH) and sitting in the carpool line early because I was excited to see them after a long day.

Employees gladly traded long commutes to work for time in the gym, fixed the breakfast they never had time to make, and found new projects they wanted to try around the house. That spare room that sat empty? It became an office. The shelves got organized. The walls got painted. The floors got deep cleaned. People started having the time and energy to get things done that they hadn't been able to focus on before.

Then there were the virtual meetings. Some people turned their cameras on, some didn’t. But somehow, you built relationships with people you’d never been in the same room with. Slack messages replaced hallway conversations. You met their pets, saw their kids wander into the frame, and got a glimpse of their bookshelf or couch setup in the background. And with that, a new level of understanding set in. Work felt different because it was different.

This is what we talk about in #CareerConvos™️. The shifts happening in corporate life, the ones people feel but don’t always say out loud. Join the conversation here.

And yet, here we are. Millennials started our careers going into the office five days a week - and we didn’t like it then either. Now that companies are pushing return-to-office mandates, it’s clear that some things are being undone.

So what now?

The same way DEIBA programs were sunsetted when they were no longer convenient, remote work is being treated like something to phase out instead of build upon. But employees have evolved. Work has evolved. Life has evolved. If companies think they can hit reset and go back to 2019, they’re in for a surprise.

Moves like this change careers. The ones who recognize what’s happening, move with intention, and position themselves well won’t just adjust - they’ll thrive. If that’s where your head is, #CareerConvos™️ is where we talk about it.

What’s changed for you since working remotely? If you had to go back to five days in the office, what would you be giving up? Let’s talk about it in the comments.

#CareerConvos™️ is where we talk about the real of corporate life - the unspoken rules, the shifts we see coming, and the things leadership won’t say out loud. If you’re navigating your career and want strategy that actually helps, connect with me here, and if you haven't already, subscribe to get the next edition of the #CareerConvos™️ newsletter here on LinkedIn.