Streaming service Spotify grabbed headlines in October when its human resources boss proclaimed its employees “aren’t children” and would continue to work remotely.

The statement — which chimed with the rhetoric surrounding the new normal of hybrid and remote working across multiple industries globally — came at a critical juncture for office space.

During this same quarter, the U.S. office sector achieved performance that would surely have astounded any real estate investor four years earlier.

Leasing activity in fourth quarter 2024 reached a post-COVID high for the third quarter running, according to a report by Jones Lang LaSalle. The U.S. office sector defied volatility to lease 52.9 million square feet. It reflected 4.9 percent growth quarter-on-quarter and 17.6 percent growth year-on-year, with fourth quarter volume surpassing 92 percent of pre-COVID averages.

Such performance suggests healthy demand for high-quality assets, according to A