Thanks to the pandemic, some 40% of Americans no longer head into the office to get work done. For many, the shift to remote work could be permanent, and yet millions of others do not have that luxury. This trend exacerbates the fault line between those who can, and those who can’t. But as much as experts tout “the end of the office”, a few with years of remote work experience argue that there’s a shelf life to this new way of working - and downsides that must be considered.

Host Sonari Glinton hears from NASA astronaut Jessica Meir on her extreme remote work experience stationed aboard the International Space Station during the outbreak. Over in the UK, Ashley Mitchell sold everything he owned and moved himself - and his job - to a tropical paradise. In Mexico, Ali Darwich has worked remotely for years with Modern Tribe. Along with Shane Pearlman, the company founder, they advise us on the benefits and risks of shifting to a distributed workforce. And finally, Michelle Lee is an office workspace designer; she hopes the post-pandemic office is more than just plexiglass and cubicles.

The guest speakers are neither employees nor affiliated with Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC. (“Morgan Stanley”). The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley. The information and figures contained herein has been obtained from sources outside of Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley makes no representations or guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of information or data from sources outside of Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley is not responsible for the information or data contained in this podcast.

This podcast does not provide individually tailored investment advice and is not a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security or other financial instrument or to participate in any trading strategy. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it. © 2020 Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Members SIPC.