Here we are…ten months into the induced coma known as the pandemic’s restrictions on human interaction. The long-term view on business survival and the effects on the way we work have changed a lot since April, 2020. In particular, the impact of the sudden changes in the way we work and interact has skewed everyone’s view of the relevance and role of the office…and office buildings.
Here are the dramatic numbers: since the pandemic, Kastle Systems has been studying keycard and fob access data from 3,600 buildings and 41,000 businesses in 47 states to identify trends in how Americans are returning to the office. Los Angeles now leads the Barometer with an occupancy rate of 27.5%, followed by Dallas at 24.2%, Houston at 22.8% and Austin at 22%.
There are those who are ready to jettison all office space and pivot to a virtual workplace. Note that this is different from virtual work. We have all done that to a degree for the past several years evidenced by people taking their laptops everywhere and being glued to their cell phones. (See that woman outside of Starbucks who is making her way back to her Mercedes roadster? I assure you, she’s not looking at funny cat videos.)
On the other hand, there are those who think that the place in workplace cannot exist virtually – that the human need to contact and in-person interaction is not being nurtured on Zoom.
Change in fundamental aspects of our lives can be daunting. Stay courageous.