From restaurants to retailers, virus transformed economies

Chef Proprieter Brenda Buenviaje smiles as she is interviewed at Brenda's French Soul Food in San Francisco, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. In pre-pandemic days, Brenda's French Soul Food was always hopping, but everything came to a screeching halt on March 16, when San Francisco halted indoor dining to stop the spread of the coronavirus. It reopened for takeout and delivery, and Buenviaje is now shipping meals nationwide through a service called Goldbelly. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Chef Proprieter Brenda Buenviaje smiles as she is interviewed at Brenda's French Soul Food in San Francisco, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. In pre-pandemic days, Brenda's French Soul Food was always hopping, but everything came to a screeching halt on March 16, when San Francisco halted indoor dining to stop the spread of the coronavirus. It reopened for takeout and delivery, and Buenviaje is now shipping meals nationwide through a service called Goldbelly. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By PAUL WISEMAN and ALEXANDRA OLSON / AP Business Writers December 16, 2020 16 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – It would be just a temporary precaution.

When the viral pandemic erupted in March, employees of the small insurance firm Thimble fled their Manhattan offices. CEO Jay Bregman planned to call them back soon – as soon as New York was safe again.

Within weeks, he’d changed his mind. Bregman broke his company’s lease and told his two dozen or so staffers they could keep working from home – possibly for good.

The gains were at once unexpected and immediate. Bregman is saving money on rent. He no longer has to persuade recruits to relocate to a crushingly expensive city. He’s increased his staff by 20% and for the first time added new hires in Texas and California.

“I was very skeptical at first that we could conduct business this way for a long time,” Bregman said. But having employees work from home proved a “huge benefit” for everyone.