Courtesy / The Boulos Co.
Nate Stevens
Updated: November 5, 2021
Going to the office? Depends on whom you ask
FILE PHOTO
In a survey by the Boulos Co., 59% of respondents indicated that they’ll use a hybrid model incorporating remote work.
By Jessica Hall
The office is not gone, but it may be slightly different now and in the future.
According to a new survey from Portland-based real estate firm the Boulos Co., the majority of companies are embracing flexibility and will incorporate some sort of remote work rather than a full return to the office.
"Really what employees want is flexibility in terms of the office and leadership that respects personal life balance,” said Nate Stevens, partner with Boulos. “The hybrid work plan is all part of employee satisfaction. And as some industries fight very hard to attract employees, such as the tech and start-up worlds, it makes me think that this hybrid style will be around for a while.”
In the survey, 140 respondents from across the state and in various sized companies participated. The survey was conducted in August and September and was a follow up to a similar survey done last year.
In response to the question about what the "return to the office" looks like, 59% of respondents indicated that they’ll be using a hybrid model incorporating remote work moving forward.
Of the hybrid work models presented, the most common selection was the combination approach that reflects a mix of employees who work full time in the office, some who work full time remotely and some who spend time both in the office and working remotely.
Only 36% of respondents answered “All or most employees will work in the office full time” and only 5% indicated that the majority of their employees would work remotely full time.
Another key finding of the survey was that answers varied depending on the size of the company.
Of the entire survey, 74% noted that their offices are already fully open. However, when looking at only respondents who work at companies with over 101 employees, that percentage dropped to 56%.
“For larger companies, they need to forecast farther out. They need to be more cautious. Smaller companies can make a decision on a Friday and change it Monday if they have to. Smaller companies may know their employees better, know their vaccination status whereas larger employees need to step more carefully,” Stevens said.
Another aspect of the survey showed respondents had more confidence now about their physical office plans, Stevens said.
The majority of respondents, 64%, said they have no plans to make changes to their office footprint, while 14% said they were planning to reduce their square footage, up from 3% in the last survey. Meanwhile, 5% said they are increasing their square footage, up from 2.5% in the last survey.
“What’s clear now is that there’s a lot more confidence and ability to plan now than there was a year ago. Last year, companies didn’t know what they were going to do. Companies didn’t want to go into long-term lease deals. There’s a lot more confidence in the market. It’s not back to pre-pandemic levels, but it’s improving,” Stevens said.
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