646-312-6800 grace@gegrace.com

Summer is over and many employers are asking employees to come back. Five days in the office can feel overwhelming when many employees are used to working from their living room.

Goldman Sachs, Tesla, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley are requiring employees to return to the office full time in the fall of 2022.

Consulting firm, Gartner, surveyed employers and found that 69% of them will require employees, whose jobs were formerly done remotely, to be back in the office for a set number of days. It may not necessarily be five – 25% of the companies in the survey will require employees to be on site for at least 3 days per week.

On the contrary, the great resignation continues. Employees value flexibility, freedom, and creativity more than in the past. How will this battle end? Layoffs have also entered the picture, especially in technology companies.

Kastle Systems has found office occupancy to be at 43% of what it was prior to the pandemic. Mark Ein, Chairman of Kastle Systems, expects that percentage to rise due to employers pushing employees to come back now that summer has ended. (That’s still fairly low!)

As of now it seems cracking down on employees to follow a rigid office schedule can backfire, especially if you’re concerned about retaining your talent. Hybrid office life should be pursued, where beautiful spaces exist for convenient collaborations, but aren’t the law of the land for an everyday appearance. (As the author speaks from experience!)

Co-working spaces are in high demand. If you are thinking about exploring this avenue, let an experienced broker help navigate your options. Call GE Grace at 646 312 6800.