Much of the news about virtual work has been critical of the practice. The topic has been discussed here on various occasions, particularly during the Great Panic. The trend shifted significantly in 2024; see Shifting Virtual (August 2025) and the posts referenced there. The flavor has persistently been of workers perceiving great personal benefit and increased productivity from virtual work and employers being somewhat less impressed.
The end of 2024 brought a massive return to the office (RTO) in America. See Heigh Ho (January 2025). What was hailed as the "Great Comeback" began in the private sector with big-name employers. RTO has spread vigorously, if periodically falteringly, through the federal workforce in 2025. According to the Associated Press, most federal workers will be back in the office this year.
I have repeatedly noted the probability of continued virtual work nonetheless. Seemingly, the probability of working remotely increases markedly with expertise, education, and experience. One of the staunchest critics of virtual work is the CEO of JPMorgan, whose main criticism seems to be that "it doesn’t work for creativity. It slows down decisionmaking.” Nonetheless, he is most critical that "The young generation is being damaged ... they are being left behind.”
This all aligns, and the end of virtual work may come. to paraphrase, "a day may come when the (usefulness of virtual work) fails, ... but it is not this day" (Tolkein, The Return of the King, 1955). The end will likely come sooner for those beginning in any profession; in fact, that may well be "this day." But for those who wield experience, training, and education, that day may be distant indeed.
This all came to mind with a news report from Cleveland earlier this year. Fox8 Cleveland reported that a hospital there is building remote work into a new hybrid model designed to retain talent, train and support the front line, and deliver better overall patient service. The nurses described there work remotely and use technology to connect to the hospital staff.
Remote medical care is not new. Telehealth existed even before the Great Panic but blossomed in its wake, according to Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. This concept was discussed here in 2016, regarding the efforts of Dr. Tearsanee Davis at the University of Mississippi Center for Telemedicine. No, telemedicine is neither new nor novel. See At SAWCA 2016 Annual Convention (July 2016).
The University of Mississippi model, described there, has telehealth professionals contacting remote and rural patients for persistent and near-continuous follow-through and reevaluation. In rural America, there are a great many who cannot access medical care but enjoy broadband access and tablets. These patients used to see a traveling nurse periodically, and now they can get a televisit at will.
I have spoken to both providers and patients in this program, and they have been complimentary. The patients laud the more ready and regular follow up as their wounds, diet, complaints, and more are a frequent focus. Some enjoy it as much because it interrupts their isolation and loneliness, which itself has distinct value. But, this is a system built on a hospital-based team reaching out to the patient at home.
The Cleveland effort is not dissimilar - the remote nurses are engaged in patient monitoring and care over video connections in the patient's room. However, this concept goes further, connecting hospital caregivers digitally to expertise where/when it is needed. The virtual nurse is thus relieving on-site caregivers of some observation and documentation and providing support, experience, and expertise to those providing in-person care.
This hybrid delivery model offers a path to retain the experienced and able who have spent years in hospital care but who have grown weary of the commute. They monitor, document, and interact with patients. More importantly, they are "guide(ing) newer nurses through care procedures." The young staff, about whom the JPMorgan CEO (above) is so broadly concerned, are being mentored and supported in this Cleveland example. There is a focus on an environment of professional development.
As noted, I harbor no doubt that virtual work will remain for senior management and diminish for the entry level. As technology continues to improve and resources expand, there is similarly little doubt that communication and interaction can likewise evolve and support both roles significantly.
There is room in the grand scheme for both in-person and virtual engagement. It will require imagination, productivity, efficiency, and management. More importantly, it will require the in-person contingent to engage and interact. They should be prepared to seek help, ask questions, and converse (yes, I mean old-fashioned phone calls, interchange, and collaboration).
The remote senior management will not have the visual cues of someone looking concerned, confused, or distracted. They will not run into employees in the breakroom or hallway. They, too, will have to focus specifically on starting conversations.
For most of us, virtual will remain a distant dream in the world of work. However, for a small group of the experienced and abled, it will remain a reality if engaged well, managed carefully, and delivered effectively. Any worker may aspire to enjoying the benefits of such a role, perhaps not "this day," but "one day."
