The State Of The Office

Seemingly every day there’s a new article about how employers are mandating that more employees return-to-office (RTO). Yet there seems to be just as many published about how employees are resisting, or just flat out refusing to heed those mandates. And now the battle between employers and employees has made it to the firing stage.

Why do employers want their employees back in the office so badly? Why do employees not want to go back just as strongly? Is the problem the office itself? And what can be done to fix it?

Office space utilization is at 40% globally (and less than 30% in the US) in the second quarter of 2024, according to XYSense, which is half to one third of pre-pandemic levels. While over 70% of companies have mandated some type of return-to-office, just as many employees believe that their company is requiring them to work from the office because of traditional work expectations.

While the vast majority of managers feel that their team is more productive when working remote or hybrid, most people believe their co-workers are unproductive when working from home. And although 77% of remote workers report higher productivity, even more business leaders are not confident that their employees are productive when they’re not in the office. Which is really the crux of the matter. If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

Most business have employed a 3 day in-office mandate, which has led to offices being 84% busier mid-week compared to Mondays and Fridays, with Tuesday being the most popular day to come to the office. All this has give rise to a new term, “coffee badge”. More than half of hybrid workers have said they show face in the office and then leave.

Which leaves us at the current state of the office, most people are not back in the office full time, and they may never return to five days a week. Employees feel like they’re not productive in the office, so do you even need an office?