Omicron Variant Threatens Tech’s Return to Office

The Omicron variant imay pose challenges for New York City’s tech industry’s plans to return to the office. The city’s tech industry has had a slow return to in-person work, and uncertainty about the new variant may impact various companies’ plans to return to the office in the next couple of months. 

Return to office plans had been delayed previously by many major tech companies, as a result of the delta variant’s emergence. Companies headquartered in New York City, such as Adobe and Slack Technologies, have adopted a long term hybrid model for their employees. 

In light of the variant’s uncertainty, many tech company executives have begun to monitor the situation and have yet to make decisions regarding current return to office plans. A spokesperson for Meta FB said in a recent statement that, “We’re currently monitoring the situation closely and our return to office plans for January 2022 remain.” 

With many companies set to return to office in early 2022, it is not yet clear how omicron will impact their plans.

Governor Kathy Hochul held a press conference on Thursday to discuss the variant and its recent tracing to an AnimeNYC conference at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The governor remained adamant that the city is prepared to handle the variant when it arrives, though she urged New Yorkers to prepare further by getting vaccinated and masking up. 

In a tweet following the press conference, Hochul wrote “we have the tools to fight omicron and any other variant. Get vaccinated, get your booster, get tested, and wear a mask.”

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