How new normal will look like old normal

As the Covid-19 pandemic recedes across much of the US, the difference between the lasting and temporary changes that it wrought are starting to emerge. Hype and wishful thinking have contributed to predictions that are likely to prove wrong; just because a change was striking or desirable doesn’t mean it will stick.
One way to think about the changes is to analyse the balance of power between competing interests — employers and employees, buyers and sellers, doctors and patients, among many others. Another is to ask which changes were already underway before the pandemic and see whether those are likely to accelerate or stall.
The pre-pandemic world operated as it did for specific reasons — and those reasons will reassert themselves as life continues to normalise.
Take remote work. It may be a great arrangement for many workers, giving them more control over their time and allowing them to avoid commuting. It may be great for many employers, letting them save on costly real estate while maintaining a productive workforce. Workers compete with each other, and those looking to get ahead will put in more face time at the office, knowing that deeper professional relationships can lead to better opportunities and advancement. This will create pressure for other workers to do the same. This was true before the pandemic, and will be true after it is a memory.
In part because of this, even if employers continue to offer more generous work-from-anywhere policies, they will probably find before too long that most employees are in the office most days.
The same competitive dynamic could keep business travel at close to pre-pandemic levels. Maybe fewer people will fly from New York to Los Angeles for a meeting. But for many occupations, getting on a plane and traveling to meet a supplier, a customer or a potential colleague is a way to communicate the importance of that interaction.
The pandemic suspended this dynamic, but it didn’t eliminate it forever. As the virus fades, it will reassert itself. Other aspects of pandemic life accelerated pre-existing trends. In some instances, despite forces that will be pushing for a return to the way things were.
Telemedicine is an example. For years, it has become steadily easier to receive routine medical care through innovations like medical clinics inside retail stores staffed by nurses authorised to write prescriptions. Or consider e-commerce, which has been steadily growing as a share of total retail sales for the past two decades.

—Bloomberg