Choice, Not Mandatory Policies Driving Return to Office Growth

There was a drop in the return-to-office rate last week, according to the weekly poll from Kastle, which operates the keycard function at many national properties.

It fell 1.2 points last week to 47.9 percent (compared to pre-pandemic), according to its 10-city Back to Work Barometer.

But a panel at ULI’s Fall Conference in Dallas on Oct. 25 spoke otherwise of the trend.

One panelist said her daughter recently turned down a promising job because it was designed for remote work. Another said the return to office by workers is growing organically and that young employees, especially, want to be seen by their bosses.

Kimberly Meyer, CFO, The Billingsley Company, moderated a panel that included Paul Wittorf, Executive Managing Partner, Transwestern; Gracie Andraos, Studio Director, HKS; and Demetrice Branch, Director of HR, Weaver.

“More people are seeing the value in being in the office, and the collaboration that can come with, they are going there by choice, not because it’s mandatory,” Andraos said.

Wittorf said rates can improve if companies are able to effectively explain to their workers about their value to the company.

“It’s not all about giving them what they want, but making them want to be there,” he said.

Outdoors a Top Amenity, Helping Workers ‘Embrace Nature’

Andraos said the office design has to be human-centric and flexible. “It should try to offer spaces that they aren’t going to get at home,” she said. “There should be a focus on amenities.”

She said that outdoor spaces have become one of the most popular amenities, helping employees “embrace nature.”

Creating an effective workspace is one thing, “but they can do that at home,” Adraos said.

She spoke of Living Labs, a concept her firm offers that is flexible and iterative to the point where it can be set up as a board room, but if that isn’t appealing over time, can quickly shift (by changing out the furniture) to accommodate comfort and individual areas where people can relax and work.

She said that Living Labs are a way to test solutions and get employee feedback. Adraos said they have shown to improve satisfaction levels in sleep, lighting, air quality, acoustics and thermal comfort.

Commuting Distances as a Marketing Hook

Wittorf said there’s a new marketing appeal to the office.

“Companies should describe the time it takes to get to the office from Point A or Point B,” he said. “Workers with families want to know how much effort it’s going to take to get to their children’s soccer game after work.

“Dallas, for example, is a growing city, adding 100,000 more people per year – you can tell just be driving around town. Travel by car can be challenging.”

New Office Space Drives Engagement

Branch said when her company opted for new space, it really drove employee engagement.

“What’s going on Dallas,” some employees in other markets would ask her.

She said initially employees – who along with HR and the executive team had input in the move – complained about the new commute.

“But once they started going to our new space, they loved it,” she said. “And the complaining stopped. We use that office when recruiting new talent. We want them to see how great the new space is.”

Branch also took the design of the new space and is using it as the company upgrades its Houston office.