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In the last week, Miami, where I live, has totally reopened. Supermarkets, stores, elevators no longer require masks, allowing us to return to a semblance of normalcy. Or maybe not.

My building has removed mask restrictions and now allows elevator crowding. I sent an email to management thanking them for this move. But another building a ten-minute walk away took the opposite stance. That condo’s Board released the following statement to its tenants: “It is in total unison that the Board agreed to require all residents and their guests to continue wearing masks in our building…It seems the governmental authorities want to move faster than is prudent…We will visit this requirement again by the fall.”

Publix, the major grocery chain in Florida, no longer requires masks, but when I was in the store a few days ago, there were so many mask wearers that I thought I had gotten the wrong information. Even today, when driving, I saw one driver, alone in his car wearing a mask with windows open. In two malls recently, the only store that required social distancing and mask wearing was the high tech Apple Store. The explanation offered was that some employees had not yet received a vaccine. That explanation made zero sense.

Many of us, maybe most of us are now ready to take back our lives, but many others remain scared, some with good reason. Family or friends may have died, others may have become sick or are part of a more fragile health group, and the media has been pounding out negative stories for months. Negative news draws viewers, happy stories do not.

Amidst all this, banks need to select a path for returning workers to their offices. But many workers I speak with resist returning to the commute and daily inconvenience required to return. Some also believe their productivity has increased out of the office, although many managers disagree. One local real estate developer told me he had sold all the units in a building from his Miami beach condo while wearing a T-shirt and shorts. “I’m a lot more productive out of the office,” he said. He is likely right, but he is a well-motivated adult entrepreneur who has mastered self-management.

I know a group of 20+ year old’s who graduated in December. One was hired by a bank on a remote basis. He and a group of his friends took off for Mexico where they have been living and “working” for the past months. That is exactly the type of person who needs to work within an office environment to become acculturated to the working world.

Decades ago, after an MBA and internal training, I started working at a Citibank unit. Early on, my boss told me to come with him to a meeting. I grabbed a pen and pad and began to follow him. He stopped me and had me go back to my desk to get my attaché case. His point was he wanted me to present myself as a professional, not as the inexperienced plebe that I was. Now, today, admittedly, the professional look may be different with, for many, the backpack replacing a leather portfolio. The young man or woman basking in the Mexico sun undoubtedly is having more fun, but at his employer’s and his own long-term expense. If he cares about becoming a good analyst, banker, or whatever, there is no replacement for the face-to-face learning that an office provides.

So, how should bank management handle a ”back to the office” movement? The CDC’s announcement regarding the end of masking provided a case example in how not to lead or inform the public. After months of proposed double masking and what some might consider fear mongering as well as Biden’s suggestion that maybe by July 4th a few friends might be able to get together outside, suddenly, masking was no longer essential. Huh? No surprise that some felt the change was too quick and unexpected.

Banks cannot just set up an arbitrary date for all employees to return. Those who want (or must) be in the office should return ASAP. Those who express hesitation need to be listened to. However, those who hesitate to return and are mediocre employees put themselves at risk. Whether justified or not, our experience is that banks and most other companies are more likely to cut employees they do not see regularly. That may change in this new world, but I doubt it. Zoom socializing is not socializing.

This summer provides the time for banks to test various work options and regroup and, by the Fall, get everyone back in the office or develop a consistent hybrid plan, one in which bank management and not individual employees set work procedures and standards. Each bank may differ from the next, but internal consistency is important for all concerned.

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FIC works with clients on targeted issues that result in growth and sustained success. Continued uncertainty requires organizational flexibility as financial institutions focus on future performance while managing current portfolios and changing customer expectations. FIC provides a valuable independent perspective to Board of Directors and senior managements.