Workers are returning to their offices. They're bringing anxiety, questions, even fear with them.

• By the end of March, every state – except Hawaii – would have dropped indoor mask mandates implemented amid the COVID-19 pandemic, paving the way for more in-person work schedules.
• People have discovered two benefits of being remote, namely, eliminating the psychological and financial costs of commuting and realizing that they can be more productive.
• Office occupancy is at 36% in 10 major cities across the country for the week of Feb. 16, with Austin, Texas, leading the pack at almost 52%, according to data from Kastle Systems.

Dr. Harris Baden, a pediatrician who heads the Cardiac Critical Care Unit at Seattle Children's Hospital, is excited about Washington state dropping its indoor mask mandates on March 21.

Baden, who spends half his time seeing patients and the other half as a professor and administrator at the University of Washington School of Medicine, says being unable to gather for training and discussions over the last two years during the pandemic has undermined the education of young residents and fellows.

“There’s definitely been a decay in our sense of engagement, and our connection to the hospital and to the purpose,” says Baden, whose nonclinical work revolves around health care provider experience as well as in-patient and family experience.