In our monthly surveys of 5,000 American workers and 500 U.S. employers, and in our numerous conversations with managers, a huge shift to hybrid work is abundantly clear for office and knowledge workers. An emerging norm is three days a week in the office and two at home, cutting days on site by 30% or more.
Why Companies Aren’t Cutting Back on Office Space
New survey data sheds light on three key reasons.
January 25, 2022
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Summary.
As knowledge workers have shifted to hybrid, we’re not seeing an equivalent drop in demand for office space. New survey data suggests cuts in office space of 1% to 2% on average. There are three trends driving this: 1) Workers are uncomfortable with density, and the only surefire way to reduce density is to cut person days on site without cutting square footage; 2) Most employees want to work from home on Mondays and Fridays, which means the shift to hybrid affords only meager opportunities to economize on office space; and 3) Employers are reshaping office space to become more inviting social spaces that encourage face-to-face collaboration, creativity, and serendipitous interactions.