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TAP TIMES -6- MAY-JUNE 2022
In the time of COVID (from 4)
Soon after the deadly effects of COVID-19
were understood, most large corporations
instituted a work-from-home (WFH) policy.
Without access to computers, clerks at Underwood & Underwood
in New York City toiled with masks their only protection from the
H1N1 virus (Nationa Archives)
reportedlysent a memo to employees that
they would soon have to return to the of-
fice.
It’s a fine Spring day in Wuhan, China, near the banks of the
Yangtze River. Wuhan is believed to be the origin of the COVID-19
virus. The city is one of the country’s largest with a population Safe return
of 11 million.
The chip giant said it was now confident
Empty cubicles that with a high community vaccination
While pondering exactly how the workforce rate it was now safe to return. Intel had
could fulfill its job functions miles distant announced a few months earlier that it
from corporate headquarters, every semi- was eyeing a June return to work.
conductor maker in the U.S. and in Europe
and Asia geared-up for what would soon Attributing Christy Piambianchini, Intel’s
become empty cubicles. Chief people officer, The Register wrote,
“While we can’t predict the future, we
Generally the only exceptions from WFH know for certain that there is no one-size-
were fab engineers, whose jobs required fts all when it comes to working at Intel.
eyes-on the machines making semicon-
ductor wafers. Accounting for specific needs
“Our approach to flexibility will account
The new abnormal for the specific needs of different business
Intel, like other chip makers, resolved to units, team, employees and geographies
make what was becoming the new abnor- and the different work we do throughout
mal easier. the year.”
The Santa Clara-based giant in mid-2020 Returning to the office may be a hard sell
said it would pay workers $500 to set-up for some companies. By now, a good
a home office, another $350 for an ergo- proportion of WFH workers view the office
nomic chair and expenses incurred for wi- workspace as a distant memory. People
fi and private network (VPN) connections have had two years to become used to
working from their homes.
At the end of this March, however, Intel- To page 8
