Companies are dropping big hints about the 'new normal' once coronavirus lockdowns end

yahoo finance ^ | May 11, 2020 | Javier E. David

[RomanSoldier19]

Officials are delineating the parameters of relaxing stay-at-home orders that have throttled the global economy, yet a few companies are already giving the public a glimpse of life once stringent coronavirus restrictions begin winding down.

Currently, states and cities are crafting a pell-mell retreat away from lockdowns designed to contain the COVID-19 crisis but that have decimated growth and the jobs market. Yet, it's widely acknowledged that social distancing protocols that enforce small crowds — and require the use of face masks in public — will remain in effect.

Already, a range of big and small businesses around the country are actively implementing the post-lockdown “new normal.” It’s become a catchphrase that has defined public discourse since COVID-19 upended societal norms, and brought the global economy to its knees.

[outpostinmass2]

I don’t the guy. I heard he’s from Mashpee and Brockton. Just heard stories.

[surrey]

I think he still lives in Mashpee. He’s completely useless, and has no social skills. If you happen to walk into the office he won’t even look at you.
The marina is literally falling apart and he doesn’t care.

[outpostinmass2]

That’s too bad. I knew Mr. Pooler. Great guy, RIP

[surrey]

Yes he was. We had an out of control town administrator who hired the current guy. Fortunately she’s gone. She was paid a small fortune and spent money every which way.

[SaveFerris]

[From cashless transactions]

It's the new, hot thing. Or should I say, keeps getting more and more popular.

Think how easy it will be with a tattoo on the forehead ... or the right hand. The unGodly will be able to buy and sell and will betray Tribulation Saints.

Of course, it won't end as the unGodly hoped it would.

[Gideon7]

The IRS rules for deducting the cost of a home office are very picky. The home office space has to be a strictly segregated room exclusively for work use with no co-mingling with personal stuff or activities whatsoever. There have been cases where IRS audits have denied the office deduction because kids toys were seen stored there or a treadmill was seen in the same room.

Next you have to take the square footage of the home divided by the entire dwelling as a percentage, and work out a 40 year depreciation schedule and base your home office tax deduction on that. Later you must track and adjust the cost basis of your home for when you sell it by subtracting your accumulated depreciation for capital gains taxes.

The IRS basically tries to make it as painful as possible.

[The Pack Knight]

That’s part of why I believe there will be some move toward working from home, but it won’t be nearly as dramatic as a lot of people think. There is a reason only a small minority of employees worked from home full-time before the pandemic, and it wasn’t just bureaucratic inertia. Office space is expensive, and not many employers would waste money on it for no reason, particularly when remote working solutions have been around for years. There are a lot of downsides for both the employee and the employer, and it isn’t for everyone.