Vaccinations are rolling out across the country at a rapid pace. It’s exciting. Not only to see friends and family face-to-face again but to see that the world is beginning to return to a level of normalcy - and this isn’t just happening in our personal lives. 

The CDC’s announcement in May 2021 spurred movement and excitement from the business community as well. While some businesses looked to extend their work-from-home policies - aiming to keep employees at home through at least the summer - others were anxious to get the office doors open again. Leading the charge in the return to office, in both a full-time and hybrid fashion, are small businesses. In fact, here at Owl Labs, we’ve even seen a 43% increase in small businesses bringing their Meeting Owl Pros online in just the past month, meaning more offices are open and going hybrid. It’s safe to say: small business is back in the US in a big way.

While traffic patterns are beginning to creep back to normal in some metros, many travel restrictions and COVID-19 company policies are still in place, meaning businesses large and small need hybrid options to maintain productivity. With 1 in 2 employees saying they won’t return to jobs that don’t offer remote work post-pandemic, and the reality that many of their customers, partners, and vendors aren’t ready - or aren’t able - to meet face-to-face, businesses are targeting hybrid-style working arrangements to be sure everyone is comfortable. But it’s the small businesses that have led the way toward ‘the next normal’ because of the hybrid work strategies and tech they’ve recently put in place.

What is a small business (SMB)?

There are many definitions of what constitutes a small business, but the U.S. Office of Advocacy defines them as ‘an independent business having fewer than 500 employees.’ This could be your local grocery store or a small restaurant chain or even an accounting firm. In fact, with over 31.7 million SMBs in America, 99.9% of businesses fall within this category - and in total, small businesses employ over 60 million people. 

Why are small businesses returning to the office so quickly?

Many small businesses struggled during the pandemic. 34.2% of small businesses surveyed through the second week of August 2020 reported being financially impacted by it. This left many in a tough place. Without the capital to sustain a long income drought, many small businesses were forced to close their doors during 2020.

That urgency, coupled with the ability to be more nimble in the creation of their hybrid work policies, enabled many smaller companies to get back to their place of business sooner. 

Small Businesses + Hybrid Work

Small businesses have been able to implement hybrid work policies and tech at a rapid rate. And with smaller employee populations, shorter approval processes, and less red tape, we’ve seen just how fast these companies are adapting and thriving in a hybrid work setting.

As a hybrid company ourselves - and one that builds hybrid tech products - in the last quarter alone,  we’ve seen thousands of SMBs purchase Meeting Owls and begin to use them as they return to the office and implement hybrid work. Most of that growth happened after the CDC lifted its guidelines for vaccinated individuals in mid-May. To us, this buying pattern signals the reality that employees at small businesses across America - from tech companies to pizza shops to medical offices and more - are returning in droves.

Having the right tech in place is critical to any hybrid workplace strategy. Employees need to be able to collaborate and communicate in a natural way - even when they all aren’t in the same room. 

One small business that uses hybrid tech at the center of its workplace strategy is Pendo. They use the Meeting Owl Pro to connect their globally distributed employee base for company meetings, making every employee feel part of the conversation. Another is Columbus-based construction company, Ingle-Barr. They use hybrid tech to transform their standard day-to-day operations.

"Prior to COVID-19, our video conferencing usage was very minimal, with maybe one or two virtual meetings per year. Now that we're utilizing video conferencing three to four times a week, the Meeting Owl has made meetings easy to set up and manage, and we're not losing the time that was spent traveling to job site meetings anymore." _Daniel Poole, Project Manager - Ingle-Barr Inc.

Small businesses are leading the charge when it comes to returning to the office and they’re relying on hybrid tech to empower them to thrive as they once did pre-pandemic. Having these businesses up and running is creating a chain reaction of productivity across the country. As other parts of the world continue to increase their vaccination rates and ease lockdown restrictions, we anticipate a similar outcome. People are returning to work. This not only helps their immediate employer but also raises the other nearby small businesses that rely on weekday traffic to succeed. 

Small businesses are forward-thinkers, early adopters, and survivors. We find them now exiting the depths of the pandemic sporting an agile mentality, a hybrid workplace strategy, and the right supporting technology. It’s an encouraging trend that we’re excited to follow as the world begins its formal transition to the new normal of work.