After months of working from home, businesses around the region are beginning to return to office spaces that have evolved to accommodate employee health and safety.
As more and more companies across the globe transitioned to working remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic, speculation arose that physical office spaces may not be necessary after all. In reality, this view is likely to change.
Big Red Rooster, a JLL company, tested this theory by conducting a post-pandemic workplace survey and found that 94 percent of participants would at least like the option to return to their respective office spaces, indicating that they believe remote work should augment the traditional office, rather than replace it, although the office that workers return to may be slightly different.
Developing A Strategy for Re-Entry
Re-entry timelines may still be tied to both the ability of individual businesses to implement new safety standards, and local government actions and mandates. Many smaller local businesses are closely following the lead of well-known regional employers, many of which have started to reopen in phases, with some making larger moves to secure new spaces. Google recently acquired additional space in Kirkland for it’s growing workforce, Facebook has purchased REI’s new Bellevue HQ, and earlier this month Amazon announced plans to expand further into Bellevue. Both of the JLL offices in Seattle and Bellevue have been operating for the past few months at 25% in-person capacity and bumped that to 50% this week.
“Not every employee has the same options to work efficiently remotely and many prefer to separate work from home,” said JLL Seattle Senior Vice President, Blair Stern. “We’ve seen this firsthand as our own colleagues in Seattle and Bellevue return to the office. There is a profound sense of relief from those who’ve been making do with challenging working conditions at home, not to mention people are sincerely glad to see each other.“
Another recent survey from employment platform Monster found that over two-thirds of employees are experiencing burnout symptoms while working from home. Stern added, “People call it Zoom fatigue for a reason and it’s been great to be able to meet face to face again, socially distanced, of course.”
Industry Observations
When JLL surveyed 80 companies across the globe from a mix of industries in mid-April, 80 percent did not have re-entry on their radar. However, when conducting the same survey in mid-May, JLL found the percentage without a set date for re-entry had dropped to 58%, and more organizations had shifted focus to phased re-entry. Nearly 84% of JLL’s 384 global offices have returned to work, in some capacity.
“We think it’s great to see companies provide employees with the flexibility to work from home, but at the end of the day, it will always be important for companies to have a physical space for employees to meet and work,” said Adam Chapman, Managing Director at JLL. “Culture, collaboration, productivity and having a place for social interaction are intangibles that are hard to quantify, and in the long run, it’s likely that both employee flexibility and the attributes of the physical office space will still play an important role in employee retention and recruitment.”
Changes to Office Design
JLL has been proactively working with clients to evolve the office environment to maximize health and safety in ways that extend beyond COVID-19 protections and help develop a longer-range strategy for the utilization of their space.
“Even when phased re-entry is possible, it’s clear that the function and design of the office should evolve, with employee health and workplace hygiene as a top consideration,” said Matt Skally, Senior VP of Project and Development services for JLL in Seattle and Portland. “We know that people are feeling the fatigue of only working from home and it’s having an impact on their well-being and productivity. For businesses, that means that the office we return to should add to the employee experience and support employee health, well-being and productivity.”
Though the function of the office continues to evolve, and elements like flex-scheduling and telework may remain integrated into more business’ workforce strategies moving forward, desire for office-centric characteristics like connection and social interaction will likely remain. It’s becoming apparent that some employees are experiencing fatigue from prolonged periods of remote work and employers must now shift their focus to planning for re-entry so that their offices will be equipped to support employees in a more holistic way when they return, with considerations for health, well-being and productivity all playing a role moving forward.
To help guide those who are still seeking insights as they establish a re-entry plan, JLL is hosting a webinar for clients and local industry leaders on October 22. To register, please watch for registration details on LinkedIn beginning on October 1.
Adam Chapman is Managing Director at JLL, specializing in tenant representation across the Puget Sound Region. Adam’s extensive experience analyzing complex market data is extremely valuable to his clients as they assess their near-term opportunities and long-term real estate needs. Reach Adam at [email protected]
Long-time Seattle native, Blair Stern is Senior Vice President at JLL. Blair’s extensive experience and background, with a focus on the strategic structuring of cost-efficient real estate solutions, has resulted in a long track record of successful negotiations on behalf of his clients. Reach Blair at [email protected]
