Why Workers Will Have to ‘Adjust to Each Other Again’ Upon Returning to Offices (Video)

You hear the expression “the new normal” a lot, and it’s because even when there’s a COVID-19 vaccine and people feel comfortable returning to their offices, seeing and working with colleagues in person — rather than through a Zoom window — will take some getting used to. Ivy Kagan, a partner with the law firm Loeb & Loeb, has been specializing in working with Hollywood studios, unions, agencies and more in adjusting to COVID. At TheWrap’s Power Women Summit, Kagan explained that all work forces — including those outside the entertainment industry — will need an adjustment period once employees can return to the office. “Integrating back into work is going to be very challenging. I liken it to when you haven’t seen your partner in a while,” Kagan told TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman as part of a panel presented by Loeb & Loeb. “You have to adjust to each other again. I think there’s going to be a lot of adjusting. People have gotten used to working in a very different environment. They’re not used to having all these people around them.” Kagan specifically pointed to the inevitably of having to speak to co-workers not just about COVID-19, but about the political and social upheaval that has surrounded us in 2020. “It’s one thing to be at home when you’re trying to cope with everything that’s going on in our world. It’s another thing to come into a work environment where you’re going to be interacting with people who don’t necessarily share your views,” Kagan said. “Those conversations aren’t necessarily happening [but] might start to happen when you get back into the work environment — who you really like working with who has a very different philosophy on wearing a mask, or who thinks it’s political, or what’s going on with the administration. I think there’s going to be a lot of challenges.” Watch Ivy Kagan’s full conversation on “Filmmaking in COVID” with TheWrap above.

The Power Women Summit, presented by the WrapWomen Foundation, is the largest annual gathering of the most influential women in entertainment, media and technology. The Summit aims to inspire and empower women across the landscape of their professional careers and personal lives. This year’s all-virtual PWS provides three days of education, mentorship, workshops and networking around the globe to promote “Inclusion 360,” this year’s theme.