This is a dilemma that seems to affect everyone at ADB, at all levels of the organization. Many of the pressures, fears, and uncertainties associated with transitioning to working from home at the beginning of the pandemic have evolved into worries around the realities of returning to the office. Furthermore, this issue is somewhat complex. It is very personal to every individual and subjective to their unique situation.

To elaborate, it seems the pandemic has caused many shifts in familial responsibilities and roles. Consequently, some ADB staff may have taken on additional duties for elder care and/or care of other members of their extended families. This has profound implications for these staff members and their families and affects how they approach the idea of returning to the office.

There are also many ADB community members who are eagerly looking forward to coming back to work but are unsure where they stand because they are unvaccinated. Their reasons for not getting the vaccine range from medical to religious or personal choices. They are anxious that future work policy may not take their unique situations into consideration.

Furthermore, some of those we spoke to struggle with the excruciating decision of whether to split their family. A staff member may decide to return to duty station, for example, but might have to leave the family behind in another place. All while knowing fully well that such an arrangement may not be sustainable in the long run.

We all might assume that this predicament applies primarily to international staff. However, some local staff were forced to move closer to their families or to their familial homes during the pandemic. Since then, they continue to work from locations outside of the cities where our field offices are located as well as from provinces outside of Manila. They have made significant adjustments to their lifestyles and are, therefore, hesitant to return.

Honestly speaking, many staff members might not like to admit it, but they have become very comfortable with their work-from-home arrangements. For some, little things like working from the comforts of home are a huge deal. Others have found it fulfilling to work in quiet, concentrated pockets of time while attending to family responsibilities. Some have enjoyed simple things such as being able to turn to their partners any time of the workday and enjoy a quick coffee break together, or take a pause to talk or play with a child. Such activities have deepened family bonding and relationships, and some may not be ready or willing to give them up.

People prioritize their quality of life and quality of work-life since the pandemic. In some instances, this may conflict with how they used to work pre-pandemic.

We would be remiss if we did not also mention the perspectives of an increasing number of supervisors and managers who struggle to encourage key staff members to return to the office. Almost all are of the opinion that certain work functions can only be best performed in person. Many quietly speak about the disconnect between the general perception and reality: contrary to the general belief that we are performing at pre-pandemic levels while away from the office, project sites and in-person meetings with key stakeholders, for instance, and the quality of work, in general, has declined significantly in some areas.

Others we have spoken to appreciate the quiet and cool oasis of their office, away from the distractions and noises at home. These staff members prefer to draw greater boundaries between their work and family lives that the office provides. Some want to be able to “unplug” at the end of a workday and maintain a healthy work-life balance; whereas, others may struggle with discord at home or problematic family lives and appreciate putting a distance between themselves and personal challenges during the day.

That said, we must acknowledge and accept that people may have become accustomed to how they have had to work since the pandemic and value the greater flexibility or balance that remote work offers.

There are certainly some good things to be said about coming back to work. We have witnessed joyful reunions of colleagues meeting each other after months of lockdowns, and we have observed that those who come back to the office seem happy to reconnect with teammates and rebuild professional networks—bringing an end to the "echo pandemic."

We must appreciate that, ultimately, ADB will implement its return-to-work policy in 2022. We understand that some members of our community may have had difficult choices to make in this respect. Eventually, we hope they all decided what is best for themselves and their families. In addition, we hope that supervisors will recognize and respect Management directives on flexibilities provided to staff and ensure these are practiced in their respective areas.