Is "work" meant as "were" here? If so, I think it's familiarity and wanting to socialize and be around people again that will bring things back to the way they

Is "work" meant as "were" here? If so, I think it's familiarity and wanting to socialize and be around people again that will bring things back to the way they were. There are a few benefits that some people have discovered, like a culture of remote-first work, or living in a smaller city, that won't go back, but I would bet that most things go back.