Employees are frequently distracted by social media, household chores and interactions with coworkers.

“Delta is probably the final nail in the coffin of the five-day return to the office,” said Nick Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford University who has studied work-from-home trends.

Gender equality and financial security for women are top priority for the organizations featured in our top stories from the week.

Employees are using COVID as a catalyst to explore their priorities and find jobs that line up with what they want from life.

Here’s what major companies have said about their latest policies on vaccinations and return-to-work plans.

The majority of people going through menopause say their symptoms negatively impact their quality of life.

Careers in HR, IT and these other industries have seen massive growth as employers adopt a hybrid approach.

A third of Black women plan to quit to seek better pay and a more inclusive workplace culture, according to Fairygodboss.

Employers may be favoring in-person employees with more development and networking opportunities.

Employees have concerns about compensations, security, and privacy at work.

“We are moving to a hybrid working model wherever possible,” Chief Executive Officer Noel Quinn said.

Banks are struggling to hire and retain workers in a tight labor market. To stay competitive, they are making concessions on wages and remote work that likely would have been unnecessary before the pandemic.

To better help workers manage stress, Paylocity CHRO Cheryl Johnson advises that employers better manage workloads and expectations, and keep communication transparent.

COVID-fueled stress, burnout and uncertainty are putting employees in an anxious and combative state.

The old methods won’t work on the new workplace model.

A jump in cases and a slowdown in vaccinations has left employers scrambling yet again.

Employees are having a hard time trusting employers who monitor their every digital move.

Despite a boom in corporate bias training and diversity pledges, little progress has been made.

For employees who were already struggling to focus at work the pandemic made matters go from bad to worse.

The mixed results show that even Target, which ramped up its diversity efforts after George Floyd was murdered not far from its Minneapolis headquarters, is having difficulty in this arena.