Ever since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies have been looking to get their employees back to the office in many ways. This can range from introducing wellness elements or requested amenities to draw employees back in. However, some companies have resorted to mandating the return-to-office (RTO) in some shape or form.
A recent study from Resume.org discovered three in 10 companies will require employees in the office full-time in 2025. Additionally, by the end of 2025, over 73 percent of companies surveyed that already have an RTO policy implemented will require employees to work three or more days in the office. On top of that, 30 percent will mandate a full five-day week, and only two percent plan to allow attendance once a week or less.
The main drivers behind this push include nurturing collaboration and teamwork (69 percent, improving communications (58 percent), making company culture stronger (51 percent, increasing productivity (47 percent) and ease of managing employees (41 percent). Also, 40 percent of companies surveyed wanted to make better use of the office spaces they pay for.
Another contributing factor is leasing agreements, as one-third of companies' RTO policies are anchored in this. For over half of companies leasing office space, the terms of their current agreements have impacted their RTO strategies. Approximately 38 percent of companies say that lease terms play at least some role, while 16 percent say that they have a major impact on their policies.
With a potential influx of employees back into the office, facilities departments will be impacted too. The new employee population will require facility managers to reassess their space management strategies, as returning staff will need spaces of their own to work.
Part of this means facility managers must understand how their spaces are used during the workday, and sensor technology is integral to this, Erin McDannald, CEO of Elevated, previously told FacilitiesNet.
Her company chose to use sensors to get a wholistic picture of how the building space was being used. While Elevated initially implemented sensors to measure occupancy to optimize lighting usage and space use via heat mapping, the company realized the data gathered would be even more valuable when combined with other data.
McDannald says that, as an example, combining heat mapping with spatial data from desk booking systems and air quality monitors provides richer insights into why employees choose certain workspaces and how that impacts productivity.
Jeff Wardon, Jr., is the assistant editor for the facilities market.
