pandemic

The protests against civil service quotas, which sparked last year's uprising, came as Bangladesh struggled with the escalating costs of living in the wake of the pandemic.

The pandemic brought on the rise of individual Zoom calls and surprise calendar invites to human-resources meetings.

Before the pandemic, “office work” had never been separated from “an office” at scale.

Over that period, Furner helped navigate that segment through the pandemic, global supply shocks, a spike in prices, new tariffs and enduring consumer caution.

That effort, helped by a fundraising campaign, allowed her to keep paying staff and pay down loans she took out to keep the business afloat during the pandemic.