'Pivotal' moment for businesses considering back-to-office plans

"Employers who aren't listening are in some ways just being naive."

As mass vaccination rolled out in the late spring and COVID-19 cases began to decline precipitously, Americans and the companies they work for began to envision a return to normalcy. Masking guidance was lifted for the vaccinated and plans were made for bringing employees who had the privilege of working from home through the crisis back into offices after more than a year of remote work -- in many cases adopting a hybrid model that attempted to balance business needs, personal lives and safety. But the rapid spread of the delta variant, largely among the vaccinated, has overwhelmed hospital systems and cast uncertainty on those plans, halting many in their tracks. In announcements that followed each other like dominoes, a slew of major U.S. corporations -- from Amazon to McDonald's -- in recent weeks have pushed back their September office reopening targets.