Any return to a “new normal” in the modern economy should include a return by most employers to in-person workplaces, said Dan Houston, Principal Financial Group’s president and CEO, the Corridor Business Journal reported. Houston spoke Wednesday during the CBJ’s annual Economic Forecast Luncheon at the DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Cedar Rapids. “When I reflect on some of the biggest challenges we’re facing right now, the continued health and safety of my workforce is job one,” Houston told about 500 attendees. “And I come from the perspective that I don’t think that long-term working from home is in the best interest of employees, employee development or health and mental well-being.” Houston said that about two-thirds of Principal’s employees have returned to in-office work at least three days a week.