DETROIT – Many people are dealing with anxiety as they return to in-person work, but what about the workers who never left the office?
Those who remained in the office throughout the pandemic are sharing how they feel about their coworkers joining them.
For some, it’s been added stress.
Jeff Manson, a detective with the Detroit Police Department, has been working in his office as usual despite the COVID shutdown. He said he’s feeling concerned as more people return to work.
Mason said he mostly worries about exposing his family to COVID, since some of them are still too young to be vaccinated.
Like Mason, Tony Watkins also works downtown and has been in her office for the past year.
“While everyone was at home working, the traffic was very light, it was very easy to get downtown. And now that people are turning to work, the traffic is crazy,” Watkins said.
Watkins commutes from Oakland County into Downtown Detroit.
She said she’s trying to get used to having more people back downtown again. She said during the pandemic, she was allowed to park on the streets in front of the building where she worked, and she’s going to miss that aspect.
According to a recent survey, only 7% of people said they want to return to their office. The ones who would rather stay home said they’d miss the comfort of being home.
Read: More coverage on the return to work