This entrepreneur is bringing all of his workers back to the office. Here’s why.

Welcome back to Big Trends in Small Biz, a weekly newsletter bringing you the news, tips and trends to help you with your business. Click subscribe above to be notified of future editions. This edition part of #Reshuffle , a series from LinkedIn News focusing on the future of work.?

The pandemic forced millions of employees to work remotely for the past 18+ months and companies of all sizes are introducing new policies allowing their employees more flexibility to work from home part time or even relocate to a new locale.?

Joseph Woodbury, founder of peer-to-peer self-storage company Neighbor, is bucking the trend, saying his company will remain an in-person culture going forward. Woodbury brought his employees back to the Utah office full time in June.?

In his #BusinessReimagined article — a series where entrepreneurs share their toughest challenges — Woodbury writes about what drove his decision to maintain an in-person culture and how he communicated the strategy with his employees.?

How is your company approaching the return to work? What are the main factors you’re taking into consideration? Join the conversation in the comments and follow our #Reshuffle coverage.?

Latest Developments

• Brick-and-mortar retailers are turning to a new source of revenue by turning their stores into fulfillment centers.
• U.S. small businesses that rely on foreign labor are finding themselves with few options as visa delays and the virus keep workers out of the country.
• The surge in cases because of the delta variant is forcing companies to push back their return-to-work plans and leaving many workers anxious about going back.
• Restaurants are reimposing mask mandates and some are requiring customers to show proof of vaccination to curb the spread.?
• Square is joining the buy-now, pay-later trend with its $29 billion acquisition of Afterpay.

Conversations For You

• Small business owners and their workers are feeling more confidence, even in the face of the delta variant. Construction and recreation and travel are two industries seeing the biggest upsurge in optimism, according to the latest Workforce Confidence Index report. See what entrepreneurs and their employees are saying .
• Couples are eager to get hitched after over 18 months of delays, but weddings are proving to be even costlier. Planners, florists and others in the industry share what they are experiencing.

Something Good

• Kudos to Axios’ Ina Fried for this week’s video . She heard it playing while covering the Tokyo Olympics and it is a delight.