SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Choosing to make a job change during a global pandemic wouldn't have seemed like a smart thing to do. But for Jaya Prakash, it's turned into one of the better career decisions she's made.
"'I know it was not the best time, but I thought, ok let's give it a try because it's remote, and I have time to learn and grow," Prakash said.
Prakash took a job with Lytx, a fleet compliance and management solutions company based in San Diego.
Jaya lives in the San Francisco area. She onboarded remotely and is still working that way, managing her team of seven.
"I haven't met them in person, but we have constant Zoom meetings," Prakash said.
"We are continuing to grow and continuing to hire," said Jessica Serrano, Vice President of Talent at LYTX.
Serrano says the company added 92 employees in 2020.
"We are still working remotely," she said.
For many industries, remote work will continue.
"We also see areas like project management and sales, accounting and finance, customer service and marketing, are ones that have really strong remote work numbers for long term remote jobs," said Brie Reynolds, Senior Career Specialist at FlexJobs.
Flexjobs is a job search website that specializes in remote and flexible types of jobs. Reynolds says they are starting to see some areas move back to office settings.
"We are starting to see, things that you might guess, things like manufacturing, food services, retail, where they had large remote components over the past year, they are starting to go back more fully into the office or work settings," Reynolds said.
Last week one of the biggest banks in the world, JP Morgan Chase, told employees that buildings would be open to all employees on May 17.
A memo sent by the senior internal leadership group said, "We are welcoming more of you back next month so that you can get comfortable with being back in an office environment. Understanding that this may take some time, we would fully expect that by early July, all U.S.-based employees will be in the office on a consistent rotational schedule, also subject to our current 50% occupancy cap."
"With this time frame in mind, you should start making any needed arrangements to help with your successful return. Each line of business will work with their managers and location leaders to determine an appropriate schedule. Our branches and offices outside of the U.S. will continue to follow their established processes."
It noted the company would follow all government restrictions and mandates and be prepared to pause or reverse a return if needed.
It also said they would practice industry-recognized health and safety protocols, including high standards of cleaning and air filtration mask-wearing and daily health check requirements.
ABC 10News reporter Adam Racusin reached out to several office-type businesses to see what a return to work will look like. Most responded they are still working on the plans making sure they are tailored to California regulations.
Right now, Lytx is currently exploring the future of work on our campus and at its facilities. They are hopeful that they will bring employees part-time in July and actively monitor the environment to adhere to all state and local regulations.
Serrano said the future of work at Lytx would be a hybrid depending on team needs.
They understand that some teams require more on-site work than others and actively work with teams to create a framework that works best for each team.
