Return to work whiplash: High prices add a new wrinkle

Higher prices have been cramping our style (and wallets) for a while now, to the point where they are almost starting to feel normal. Now the return to the office is adding another wrinkle into the impact of inflation. Between the costs of the commute, lattes, lunches and new wardrobe items (au revoir, yoga pants), we always expected expenses to increase when heading back to work. But today’s prices have some reconsidering whether the return to “normal” is worth the cost.

Return to office mandates have many of us getting back into the groove of pre-pandemic life and company culture. (Watercooler talk never felt so good.) It’s been going so well that we might have forgotten, or suppressed, our desire for a flexible work life. On the flip side, the rise in cost of coming into the office has many people rethinking their office FOMO. Some are using the moment to double down on their demands for that flexible life. According to a Workfest survey, people value flexibility in their job as much as a 10% pay raise.

While we're talking about work… Kim Kardashian got some heat for her advice to women in business: “Get up and work.” She received a lot of backlash for her comment, but the message didn’t go unheard. Working hard is one part of success, but so is support. What are we all doing to support the women in our lives? How are we creating equity within our spheres of influence at work and at home?