Today I caught up with a friend who is a company founder. We discussed the current pandemic-generated business climate and how it will affect work going forward. We agreed that how people work will change in a big way.

Working from home isn’t new; it’s been around for decades. More than a few companies have been 100% distributed (with no central office) for over a decade. I consider these companies and their employees to be early adopters.

So why do I think the current situation will have a big impact on how people work? In a period of a week or two, almost all US companies have been forced to move to working from home. Such a rapid pace of adoption is unheard of. It would never have occurred without an external force preventing employees from safely commuting to and working in an office.

I predict that working from home will become the new norm. Why? Simple—productivity and commonalities.

Let’s look at it first from an employer’s perspective. Productivity has always been a major concern. Will people at home work as hard, communicate as well, and get as much work done? Now there will be data on these points. If the answer is yes, there will be a strong case for offering the option of working from home to most employees. Reducing overhead (such as real estate costs) and not being bound by geography in recruiting are attractive. Imagine needing half the office space and allowing your employees to live wherever is best for their family situations. Who doesn’t want lower costs and happier employees?

What about from an employee’s perspective? Working from home isn’t for everyone. Even if you have the personality to adapt well to working from home, until now there was something that made it less appealing, in my opinion. If all your friends and colleagues commute to work every day but you work from home, you will feel out of place and isolated. They can’t relate to you working in pajamas. Now, though, most people are working from home, a fact that fosters relatability and solidarity. You no longer feel like an outsider. Everyone is working in their PJs. Avoiding commutes, having more time for yourself, or living somewhere cheaper than a pricey urban center have their appeal. Imagine making the same salary and enjoying these benefits. Who doesn’t want to spend less and have more personal time?

At CCAW, half our team came to the office every day and half worked remotely (some in other countries). There were challenges—varying time zones was one—but I believe that allowing employees to work from home can be powerful, in part because it helps with retention by improving employees’ quality of life.

My prediction could be right or wrong. Regardless, I’m excited about seeing the new work norm.

What are your predictions for the future of work?