Lately, many major companies are rolling out requirements for employees to start coming into the office, which many employees aren't too thrilled about. A major point of contention? What we have to wear.  

Many Americans working from home have traded in pencil skirts and blazers for the casual comforts of home or maybe a nice shirt for zoom, but casual shorts.  

But the truth is, this isn't a new development thanks to the pandemic. U.S. revenue for men's suits declined from $2.2 billion in 2013 to $1.9 billion in 2018. And to look even further back, an estimate in 1948 from a clothing manufacturers association put that revenue at $12.5 billion with inflation. 

The pandemic may have accelerated the trend, but the decline in formalwear has been going on for decades now.  

In the mid-20th century, formalwear was not just an office staple. For both men and women, suits and hats were the standard for everyday activities: from shopping for groceries to going to the movies to watching sports games.  

But major fashion trends in the '60s and '70s opened the door for more variety within formalwear, especially as new styles were being seen on television.  

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Colorful power suits and trousers were in, and outfits that could be worn both to the office and after-work drinks were seen as more practical and fashionable. It was what Esquire Magazine called "the rise of loose-collar culture." 

Soon, the rise of casual wear would become unstoppable, thanks to the khaki pants and button-down collared shirts in Silicon Valley.  

The '80s and '90s saw the invention and rise of "business casual," what this 1995 article from the Chicago Tribune declared was a "confusing" new world. Silicon Valley has already embraced a culture of rule-breaking, creativity, and risk over conformity.  

The rise of "athleisure" clothes during the past decades, like yoga pants and workout sneakers, coincided with this. By the time we reached the 2000s, formalwear was confined to only certain industries, and outside the office could be seen mostly during special occasions like weddings.  

Though it's worth noting, not even traditional industries might be so strict on the suit much longer! In 2019, Goldman Sachs relaxed their dress code to "business casual."

Some fashion experts have noted that the cultural implications of formalwear have been transferred to some areas of casual dress.  

Being able to work remotely and thus dress casually is more common in white-collar industries. One could argue there's a new flex of status with high-end athleisure brands like Lululemon, or streetwear from luxury brands like Gucci.  

Changes in culture shape our changes in fashion, and we can trace those changes through our decline in formalwear.  

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New data from WFH Research found that managers under the age of 50 wanted to spend nearly the same amount of time working from home as non-managers under age 50.

According to the January 2023 survey released earlier this month, managers under age 50 would, on average, perfer to work from home 2.6 days per week, while non-managers under age 50 would prefer to work 2.7 days per week from home.

Meanwhile, non-managers over age 50 were far more likely to prefer to work from home than those under age 50 and their older managerial peers. Older non-managers said they would prefer to work three days a week from home, while managers over age 50 said they would prefer to work 2.2 days a week remotely.

Of all respondents, just 19.6% said they would prefer to work five days a week in person, while nearly 30 percent said they would prefer to work fully remotely.

The data show a slight decline in amount of time U.S. employees are spending working from home, but the total amount is still six times higher than before the pandemic. The data estimates that 27.2% of work days are spent from home, compared to 4.7% from before the pandemic.

The data also indicate those working in large cities are more likely to work from home than those living in small towns.

The data does indicate a few limitations, noting that surveys were taken on tablets and cellphones, and those without such devices might not able to take the survey. The data also likely oversamples those without high school diplomas.

Office water cooler conversations are being replaced with instant messages and emojis.

It's a change many American workers are embracing, according to a January survey commissioned by Slack.

"It's giving people value," said Jaime DeLanghe, Slack's senior principal of project management. "People are taking the tools they have in social media, or in texting with their friends, and bringing them into a work context."

Seventy percent of people who responded to the survey said they prefer when co-workers communicate informally, and that it helps people avoid miscommunication.

Companies are "really moving from the formal, calcified processes," according to DeLanghe. "They're moving to much more casual, always-on, always-available chat. They're able to resolve issues more quickly, they have much better client outcomes, and they're able to build stronger relationships over the long term."

The changes go beyond a simpler sentence structure.

Sixty-six percent of people said the use of emoji and GIFs in conversation helped them feel more authentic. Seventy-eight percent said the new tools make work feel more friendly and inclusive.

"You can actually communicate business-critical ideas with emoji," DeLanghe said. "Some people use emoji as a read receipt on a large announcement. Instead of saying, 'I got this,' you can just give a green check or a thumbs up. Or maybe you're taking care of your kids, so you change your status to include a family. Those small touches, I think, make people feel much more like they're part of the team."

The shift is revealing what people dislike about office communication, as well.

Almost two-thirds of people said they find it "off-putting" to see workplace jargon in messages.

The worst offenders are phrases like "just checking in," "team player," and "keep me in the loop."

However, nearly everyone surveyed, 89%, said they use similar jargon in their workplace.

"They're using it to sound smarter," DeLanghe said. "They want to feel more professional, they want to feel more impressive, but they don't like being on the receiving end of that. They just want to get to the point."

Those phrases can carry over into workplace relationships.

"It was quite amazing to see how many people who worked remotely had a clear dislike of a coworker because of their communication habits," DeLanghe said. "And I don't think it was surprising. Everyone has had a leader where they could pull out their jargon bingo card and they're like, 'OK, how many times are they going to say X, Y or Z here?'"

There are still places for formality in the workplace, according to DeLanghe. She pointed to large group chats and chats with company leadership as two instances that require a more refined tone.

She also suggested starting separate threads for business-critical conversations and low-key chats.

"You can have fun in one space, but know that if you have something really critical that you need to take action against, it's in a different place," DeLanghe said. "Reading the digital room is sort of the most important thing to keep in mind."

As the pandemic heads into yet another year, companies are still grappling with uncertainty in the workplace.

Many have attempted to reopen their offices, only to be stymied by new variants or outbreaks that necessitated yet another shutdown or a delayed re-opening.

So some businesses are removing the guesswork altogether by deciding to remain fully remote — permanently.

Here's what happened when these companies decided to pivot to remote work full-time.

Enabling employees to make major life changes

When David Cancel started sales and marketing software company Drift in 2015, he and his co-founder believed strongly in an in-person work culture.

"We were very strict about that. No one worked remotely. Everyone was in the office five days a week. All our rituals were in person, like our meetings, our kickoffs, our events... a very face-time-centric culture," said Cancel, who is also CEO.

But when the pandemic hit in March 2020, offices across the country -- including Drift's headquarters in Boston and three satellite offices -- closed, and work became entirely remote.

"It was a huge panic," said Cancel. "It wasn't that we didn't support work from home, we were against it. We didn't have any rituals, or setup or practice with doing anything remote."

At the start, adjusting the company's culture to a remote model was a challenge.

"The hardest part for me in this transition was I had a limiting belief that I couldn't hire the most senior people...without meeting them in person. But I was forced to do that [when the pandemic started] and once I saw it happen and see those people get integrated and be productive, then... I said 'Oh, we should do this forever,'" said Cancel.

In early 2021, the company announced that workers will work remotely full-time, and that office spaces will be used as "conversation spaces" for meetings, collaboration and events. "Those spaces are not to be used for primary work or set up for primary work."

The about-face on remote work came with benefits for both Cancel and his workers. It allowed him to move back to New York City, for example, and his employees have also been able to make major life moves.

"We've seen a lot of advantages to the team: people have moved to lower-cost places, closer to family -- and because of those moves, they've been able to get married earlier or make different life choices that they've been putting on hold for a long time."

The company decided that employees who relocate to lower-cost cities would not have their pay adjusted.

"We are location-agnostic when it comes to pay," Cancel said.

Also hybrid work, with workers spending some days in the office and some at home, wasn't an option.

"Inherently, we have a bias toward people who are around, whether we can detect it or not," said Cancel, who said he saw this firsthand at a previous company.

"People that were in the office with the managers....they got disproportionately favored for promotions and opportunities. I wanted to make sure we were equitable that no matter where you were...you would have equal opportunity to everything in the company."

Building a more diverse workforce

Davis Smith, CEO of outdoor gear and apparel company Cotopaxi, was also firmly against remote work before the pandemic.

But less than two months after employees started working from home in March 2020, he changed his mind.

"We started realizing, [remote work] is working. Our teams are functioning more efficiently than ever before," he said.

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The decision to go fully remote means Smith doesn't have to worry about the constant decision making that comes with reopening or closing the offices.

"It seems so distracting... we are just focused on building the business and great culture. We're not worried about having to make all those decisions. There's been a huge benefit in that -- just making that decision early," he said.

The company kept its Salt Lake City office, and Smith said some employees choose to go in every day. "It's a small percentage...those people wanted a place to go."

Smith said he rarely goes into the office these days, but finds that he's more deliberate with his relationships working remotely. "Every single day I have a goal to do one outreach to someone on our team -- I wasn't doing that before. I wasn't that intentional, I just thought: 'Oh I will will run into them in the office.'"

The company has tripled in size during the pandemic and being fully remote has allowed it to build a more diverse team.

"It's a lot easier to hire a diverse team when you aren't limited to a specific geography."

While successful so far, Smith said he still worries about the potential long-term implications of a remote working model.

"I've asked myself many times: At what point does this catch up to us? Because so many people are new and maybe they don't understand the culture as deeply. But our culture has changed and all those rituals and traditions, we had to wipe them clean and start over and we've created new [ones] that work for this new environment."

The company sends employees a weekly poll via Slack that asks about things like engagement, culture and other topics, including compensation and burnout, to help keep a pulse on employee sentiment and morale.

"There has been a lot of power in us saying early on we embrace this new way of working. This is the way of the future: we can either fight it or embrace it and figure it out faster than everyone else," said Smith.

Keeping workers happy

Pre-pandemic, most of the employees at online brokerage firm Robinhood were expected to be in the office every day.

But in December the company told employees it will become primarily remote, meaning there will be no location or regular in-office requirements for most workers. But it will keep its offices, including its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, open to employees.

The shift to remote work over the course of the pandemic has had a noticeable effect, said Cindy Owyoung, vice president of inclusion, equity and belonging at Robinhood.

"Over time, it became increasingly clear that our employees were happiest and did their best work when they had the flexibility to determine where and when they work best," Owyoung said in an email to CNN Business.

For the better part of three months, Greg Morrison has spent most of his waking moments searching for jobs. Last week, that search finally paid off for the 33-year-old TV producer, who lives in Los Angeles.

Three months without a paycheck, though, hasn’t been easy.

“Every time you slide your credit card to pay for groceries or write a rent check, there’s that voice in your head that knows it’s coming out of your savings,” Morrison said.

As COVID-19 swept across the country earlier this year, it all but ceased production of most television shows in L.A. For Morrison, the realization came fairly quickly that this stretch of unemployment would last much longer than the typical few weeks he has between some jobs.

He’s been surviving on the extra $600 that the federal government has added to unemployment benefits as part of the CARES Act, but even that has been hard to come by.

“They are seven weeks behind on my unemployment payments,” he said. “I can’t get anyone on the phone. They say they’ve setup another line, but I can’t reach anyone.”

But even with all the troubles he’s facing getting unemployment benefits, prospects are looking better for Morrison and some Americans who have found themselves out of work because of the virus, especially as some states begin easing their stay-at-home restrictions.

“It’s a lot more promising than it was a few weeks ago,” said Morrison, who just accepted a new producing job that starts in June.

Although he’s hesitant given the current situation with the pandemic, he’s also hopeful.

“I’m happy to be one of the lucky ones right now,” he added.

As for economists, many still believe recovering from the pandemic will not be like flipping a light switch back on.

“It’ll be five years before a full recovery,” said David Parsley, who teaches economics at Vanderbilt University.

But Parsley says jobs will slowly begin to return as more states open for business.

“There’s always opportunities, but these opportunities will be for people who are skilled; people who are trained,” he said.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A new study says 1 in 3 Ohioans may continue working from home, post pandemic.

That could mean big consequences for Ohio cities, including Cincinnati.

“There’s nothing wrong with working from home, but it does have unintended consequences,” said Keary McCarthy, Executive Director of the Ohio Mayors Alliance, which commissioned the study. “What does that mean to the average person? It means fewer resources for public safety, fewer resources for infrastructure and roads and bridges, it means fewer tools to incentivize new employers to come to our cities.”

Many Ohio cities rely on an earnings tax to fund their general fund budget. That tax is paid by people who work within city limits. If people transition to work from home, outside of city limits, that money would be lost.

Cincinnati’s earnings tax is 1.8%, one of the lowest in the state. However, according to the report, Cincinnati could stand to lose $43 million in tax revenue on the high end to $15.7 million on the low end.

“There's been a handful of us here at City Hall, we've been talking about this for over a year,” said council member and candidate Steve Goodin. “There is no question that at some point in the future, we're going to have to not just look at Cincinnati, but all major cities. Are going to look at how we fund our operations.”

The city put aside millions of dollars from the American Rescue Plan to fill any hole left in the budget from this shift.

“We’ve been very conservative there. But, the Biden administration can't keep printing money. We're already seeing inflationary pressures in the economy. So at some point, we're going to have to figure this out ourselves. It is a very, very serious issue. It is the issue,” said Goodin.

Still, a time when some businesses are shifting way from the office, engineering firm CMTA moved into a new office space in Pendleton earlier this year.

“For us it’s just a really good environment,” said Jeffrey Millard, VP of Operations for the Ohio offices of CMTA.

Millard said the company doesn’t plan to ditch the office any time soon.

“A lot of our people liked the collaboration, they liked to be able to bounce ideas off people. We never really 'came back, came back,' but even now if I look out, we’re probably 100% today because people just like collaboration.”

However, he said, the pandemic taught his staff that remote work can work. Meaning the company will be flexible for workers, allowing remote work when necessary.

“I think the pandemic reshaped everyone’s mindset, because before the pandemic, oh there’s no way you can get as much done at home. What we all proved is you can still do good work,” he said.

ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — After you've decluttered your wardrobe for the new year, why not sell your used clothes and make a little extra cash instead of throwing clothes away to clutter up a landfill?

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Clothes Mentor in Anderson Township is a resell store, which means they buy gently used items and give you cash on the spot.

Since reopening in May after closing for the pandemic, Mary Kucynski, the store's manager, said Clothes Mentor has seen a surge in people buying and selling clothes. The store is buying, on average, between eight and nine items from a single seller.

The shop tries to stay current with their styles and what they offer and that means they are in need of cozy work-from-home clothes.

"We're looking for soft pants, joggers, casual sweaters and cardigans, trendy denim, ankle boots," Kucynski said. "It's that comfy, casual outlook that's everybody's sticking to. Definitely athletic wear."

If you sell items at Clothes Mentor in January, you will be entered into a raffle for a $50 store gift card. And if the store doesn't buy all your items, you can donate those items at the store to Matthew 25: Ministries, which comes by the store twice a week to pick up donated items.

Quarantine has been challenging for many working from home. We've been in close quarters with family, dealing with virtual learning, and trying to find privacy for a video conference call. It seems that we all could use a change of scenery as we head into fall. Following socially distant guidelines, these hotels offer accommodations to make working remotely a breeze.

Whether you’re escaping your family, need some new inspiration, or are bringing the kids along for a virtual learning field trip, we've found something that caters to everyone’s needs. Traveling by car or plane, each property offers a retreat while still allowing you to get work done. These 10 hotels are work-from-home-friendly, and will quickly make you forget about being stuck at home for the last year.

Working from home has transformed how people make a living. It has also led to some pretty extravagant home office setups.

Research from the company CouponFollow shows the average American spent $572 on their home office set up during the pandemic, with 36 percent of those people buying technology like webcams and computer software to support their work.

“So, the old [computer] I had previously was just literally this laptop here,” said Chad Sullivan, a 27-year-old worker in the oil and gas field.

Since March 2020, Sullivan has been working exclusively from home. He started working on his laptop on the kitchen table and has since graduated to a home office filled with a desk that can elevate to a standing desk with the push of a button, as well as a 54-inch rounded computer monitor.

“This at least helps me put a couple of different avenues of referencing, typing, and reviewing all at once,” he said.

Total, the investment was around $600, Sullivan said.

Nationally, research suggests the investment in a home office has helped productivity, as well. According to the Pew Research Center, 71 percent of Americans exclusively work from home because of the pandemic, and, on average, log 22 million hours of extra work each day because of it.

“I prefer to stay at home. I’m more productive at home. I create more,” said Frank Adelson, an editor for a local news station in Miami.

Adelson has not gone into his office for more than a year. He has invested in three computer monitors next to one another, with a television mounted to the wall above them.

“It allows me to watch the news and what is going on while working on projects,” he said.

According to CouponFollow, 81 percent of people who responded to their survey said they were satisfied with the effectiveness of their work from stations, 80 percent responded by saying they were satisfied with how it amplified their focus, and 84 percent said they were satisfied with how it increased their productivity.

CHICAGO — If you're stressing about having to return back to the office, you’re not alone.

Recent studies show a large percentage of people don’t want to return to the office full time.

"I've got two young kids and pets, and I'm able to kind of take more time with them in the morning,” said Stephanie Bossmeyer, a human resources director who has been working from home the past year. "I can't believe the amount of time that I spent going to and from work."

Bossmeyer is fortunate. Her company is not pressuring employees to return to the workplace in the near future.

“It's been pretty successful, to be honest, and I think a lot of people feel that way,” said Bossmeyer.

As more people get vaccinated, the prospect of life returning to normal is exciting. While some employers are starting to consider having staff move back into the office, it’s something many teleworkers may be dreading.

“Any belief that we're returning back to normal is probably misplaced,” said Shelly Rauvola, an associate professor of organizational psychology at DePaul University in Chicago.

Rauvola specializes in health and well-being in the workplace.

“I think there's the argument to be made that individuals might be more productive in a place where they're really comfortable," explained Rauvola. "They might be more productive if they get to work different work hours."

Whether it’s the stress and cost of commuting or the loss of flexibility, more Americans are finding their stride in working from home.

“I often feel more productive,” said Bossmeyer. “Sometimes, I think you forget to kind of log out and kind of go home. But I do appreciate the flexibility.”

Late last year, more than half of the workers surveyed said they would want to work from home even after the coronavirus outbreak ended. Now, that number has grown.

A recent Harvard Business School survey of remote workers found 81% of workers prefer a hybrid schedule post-pandemic or not going back at all. Just 18% said they would want to go back to the office full time. Meanwhile, worried about company culture, some 70% of employers say they want people back in the workplace.

What the ideal post-pandemic work-life will look like is still uncertain, but experts agree flexibility may be the key.

“I think that there should be a push to try to adapt work to fit the worker because ultimately, that's what's going to make for sustainable employability,” said Rauvola. "That's what's going to make for a happier, healthier, and more productive society.”

The pandemic isn't slowing down job turnover. In fact, it's a chance for workers to take stock of their career.

"What I think this is showing us is that employees are fed up," said career development coach Dorianne St. Fleur.

Some are leaving stable jobs in hopes of something better.

"I think, a pandemic put this in perspective," said St Fleur. "This is not the only way to work my fingers to the bone. I don't have to do work this unfulfilling. There are other options for me."

The New York Times called this the YOLO Economy, for "you only live once." Tired workers taking a professional gamble — amid economic uncertainty — to take control of their career.

While this movement isn't exclusive to millennials, it's one of the generations embracing the trend. 

"I didn't have anything lined up. I had zero clients lined up by the time I left my job," said Jessie Fritz, who is a social media strategist. 

Fritz quit her job last year when much of the country was shut down last spring. She said her old job was stressing her out. So she focused on her YouTube channel and used 10 years of marketing experience to launch her own social media strategy business.

"So I just kind of went after it." Fritz said "But, I will say, right now it sounds very, like, 'oh, yeah, I just went and left my job and started my own business. And that was easy.' It wasn't. I was terrified. But, I'm still glad that I did it."

Cassandra Rose was in a similar spot, wanting more from her human resources job. 

"My passion for people is so strong that I was willing to walk away from a six-figure job with really good benefits to start something new," she explained.

While Rose had a job lined up before leaving, the pandemic gave her time to think about what's important for her. She wanted something to reflect her values, now she helps people navigate work benefits. 

"I can make sure that someone who needs access to health care is able to understand it and get it," Rose said. "And so, that was the voice and that was the passion that moved me out of traditional to something new and exciting, scary."

Stories like the ones from Rose and Fritz could become more common. According to Prudential Financial 1 in 4 workers have thought about leaving their job after the pandemic.

Experts say workers are sending a message to companies. 

"They want to just simply have some sense of where they can go, and they want the company to help them get there," said Danny Nelms, President of The Work Institute.

"And unfortunately, companies are not doing enough from our perspective to place enough emphasis on that sort of career management aspect of the manager's role, and, as well as the companies," Nelms added.

"I think employers, if they don't kind of shift the way that they're looking and engaging with employees, particularly employees of color, who have realized and come to a reckoning of how the corporate world is not necessarily designed with us in mind, they're going to lose a lot of top talent," said St Fleur.

The Work Institute found 63% of voluntary work departures were for "more preventable reasons" — like management and work stagnation.

The institute says until employers address these factors, people may be willing to go to great lengths to find the right job.

For workers needing advice:

"You're the CEO of your life, you get to choose your employer, you get to choose what you do," advised Rose.

"Just be open to possibilities, reach out to your networks, ask people, even the people that you would never--I asked my health coach," Fritz said. "And she's the one who went out and asked a bunch of people for me. So you never know who's willing to help you."

This story originally reported by Austin Kim on Newsy.com.