"Stop Working from Home, Come Out and Work" Policy Changes... 'Bustling' US Offices

Average Office Occupancy Rate at 54.2%
Highest Since March 2020
Amazon: "More Advantages to Working in the Office"

Due to COVID-19, American companies that had prominently promoted remote work are now mandating office attendance.

An image of office workers in a meeting, unrelated to the article content. Pexels

On the 20th (local time), The Washington Post (WP) reported that office attendance by employees of American companies has reached its highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to real estate management company Castle Systems, the office occupancy rate (the percentage of office space filled) in the last week of last month across 10 major U.S. cities averaged 54.2%. This is the highest figure since March 2020, when COVID-19 first became widespread. Notably, Houston, Texas had the highest rate at 64.9%, while Washington DC also reached 51.5%.

The average office occupancy rate in the first week of this month was also 54.1%. Among the 10 cities, Houston had the highest rate at 65.1%, and San Francisco had the lowest at 43.2%.

This phenomenon occurred as companies reduced remote work and encouraged office attendance. The world’s largest e-commerce company, Amazon, started a five-day office attendance policy for the first time since COVID-19 last month. During the pandemic, Amazon allowed remote work but shifted to a policy requiring attendance at least three days a week starting May 2023, and from this year, it established five days a week as the principle. Telecommunications company AT&T also moved to a five-day office attendance schedule, and global investment bank JP Morgan and server company Dell Technologies will implement this starting next month.

Companies are reportedly viewing remote work negatively and judging that face-to-face work is more effective. Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon, said upon announcing the five-day attendance policy, "Looking back over the past five years, I have felt that working together in the office has more advantages," adding, "I have observed that team members can learn more easily, model behaviors, and strengthen our culture (in the office)."

However, some companies like Amazon have postponed their office return dates in certain cities due to inadequate workspace availability. WP reported, "Some companies are still continuing flexible work," and "real estate experts expect the office attendance rate to gradually increase."