TechRepublic – “The post-pandemic landscape will include plenty of options for professionals to interact outside the home, a new report finds. The freelancing platform Upwork wanted to find out where workers would be perched post-pandemic and to determine the impact remote work has had on professionals as it relates to socialization. Its economist, Adam Ozimek, tweeted the question behind his new report released Wednesday, “Is remote work going to cause problems because everyone will be socializing less?” “Remote work doesn’t mean you are stuck at home in the basement, it means you have control over how much you socialize,” Ozimek said in his thread. “You can still decide to have a very social work environment once the pandemic is over.” “To start,” he added, “it’s important to avoid the mistake that so many keep making: Working remotely during the pandemic is not the same as working remotely in normal times! There is a constant conflating of pandemic problems with remote work. According to his report for Upwork, data from Gallup shows that as of March, nearly half of Americans are still avoiding public places and small gatherings. Because social distancing involves avoiding public places and close contact with others, the 33% of Americans who are working remotely today are likely working from their homes, the Upwork report said. “It is this working from home experience over the past year that creates the impression that remote work means social isolation. However, this will not always be the case. When the pandemic ends, working remotely does not necessarily mean working at home.”…