Want Employees Back in the Office? Try This

The need for offices will continue as American businesses reconfigure their post-pandemic priorities – but to bring workers back, occupiers will need to reimagine both productivity and health and safety.

In a new analysis, Moody’s Analytics’ Jeffrey Havsy says policies to support healthier workplaces are a “necessary first step” to luring employees back to physical workspaces. What else is required/?

“A combination of an attractive, optimized office environment and enhanced productivity from in-person interactions for certain office tasks,” Havsy writes. “Owners and tenants directly benefit as well. Property owners may reap the most value for their buildings while tenants support their workforce to achieve those productivity gains.”

A demand for more collaborative spaces will likely continue to inform return-to-office strategies as well. Moody’s experts say networking events, strategic planning sessions and collaborative workshops will be key to enticing employees back to the office; requiring attendance without a specific purpose likely will not.

“Long gone is the five day work-week where staff will come to the office, plug in at their desk for heads down work, with a meeting or two mixed in throughout the average day,” says Doug Ryker, global managing director of real estate and workplace strategy at Moody’s, told Havsy. “Employees are now looking to the office for a place to meet up with their co-workers and collaborate or even innovate. Right now, companies are providing short-term incentives such as free meals or social events to allow people to reconnect following a long stretch apart, but the impact of such will fade. Employees want to work in spaces that really foster these types of in-person interactions.”

Office traffic momentum picked up speed in June, according to Placer.ai, with visits up year over year in major cities including New York City (54.4% increase), Chicago (38.3%), San Francisco (84.6%) and Boston (31.2%).