CONNECTICUT, USA — Employees that have been working from home say there have been some benefits to their work situations, brought on by the pandemic.
"I liked working from home because I could spend more time with my fiancé and just be a little bit more comfortable," said Mario Perleche of Hartford.
"It's been a lot easier to take quick scheduled appointments and things like that. I have a dog so taking her to the vet is a lot easier," said Connor Campbell of Hartford.
Companies have also seen the benefits. Pratt and Whitney announced its office employees will now be working from home at least part-time. The company will be operating on a hybrid model that will also allow for employees to return to the building, when necessary, but return to an open, collaborative space where they won't be limited to an assigned building.
"It’s just a different way of looking at it. I think they framed it as the workforce of the future for their initiatives. And I think many
Other corporations will be doing the same as the pandemic brought out a new way of doing business," said East Hartford mayor, Marcia Leclerc.
The flexibility of not needing to come in every day, and still getting work done, paving the way for a new normal. In Hartford, other big companies are following suit. Aetna plans to start returning to worksites in September, but in a statement said, "our new approach will include a combination of in-person and virtual work."
Employees with The Hartford are also still at home. Spokesman Matthew Sturdevant said, "We expect to meaningfully increase the number of employees coming into the offices starting in the summer and early fall."
For local businesses in downtown Hartford though, that means nearly two years of a decrease in foot traffic, and a blow to their business.
"You know the guys and girls that work downtown in the corporate offices are no longer here of course. That was a pretty big percentage of not only mine but a lot of business' downtown revenue," said Jerry Grate, owner of The Tobacco Shop.
In East Hartford, where Pratt and Whitney is located, local businesses are also concerned about what employees staying home could mean for them.
"It definitely wasn’t what we wanted to hear, especially with them being in our backyard. But you know we’ll do what we can moving forward," said Chris Costello, co-owner of Augie and Rays.
Business owners staying hopeful that workers will stop in, even if it's only a few times a week.
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