Post-Labor Day uptick in U.S. office space utilization may not satisfy companies’ expectations

An anticipated post–Labor Day uptick in employee utilization of office space may not be enough to satisfy many companies’ expectations, according to a recent survey of 176 corporate end users by CBRE and CoreNet Global. As employers search for ways to increase office usage, they are focusing on making their space design compelling enough to attract employees back to the office.

Most companies believe the office is a fundamental tool for business success and want employees in the office more often. Although 84 percent of survey respondents want their employees in the office at least 2.5 days per week, 60 percent indicated pre–Labor Day usage levels were more than two days below the pre-pandemic average of 4.4 per week in 2018. While 43 percent of survey respondents believe that current office utilization levels constitute a “new normal,” 51 percent expect the level will continue to increase after Labor Day.