Offices open in the US. What stocks should US

With nearly three-quarters of the US working population fully vaccinated, many companies are trying to get their workers offline. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, less than 10% of corporate America is now working remotely, and more than 92% of businesses are working offline, at least in part.

The number of workers who returned from remote work was expected to grow. However, the news about the delta strain and new diseases brought those predictions to naught. Apple, BlackRock, and Wells Fargo recently postponed plans to return to the office until October. Google and Facebook are also set to return to offline mode no earlier than mid-fall, while requiring employees to vaccinate. Amazon.com is postponing office reopening until 2022.

Protracted uncertainty in the workflow can lead to what is called a “great resignation” (mass layoffs due to unwillingness to return to the office). Newly empowered workers with stimulus bonuses and the ability to make their mark in a tight job market can easily find an outside job if employers require them to be physically present five or even three days a week. Nearly 18 million employees voluntarily quit their jobs during the first five months of 2021, according to the US Department of Labor, bringing the quit rate well above the average.