Since the Omicron variant emerged, banks have hit the brakes on bringing workers back to the office. JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo and Jefferies have told employees they can start 2022 at home, at least for a few weeks.

The banks are hoping that the Omicron pause is short-lived. But even after Omicron subsides, the companies could find themselves facing a more deep-seated problem. Many of their employees have grown used to more flexible working arrangements and aren’t willing to go back into the office full time. How their return-to-work experiment plays out could set the stage for other white-collar industries.