Bosses look for ‘trophy towers’ to lure workers back to the office

Towering over the skyline of every major US city, skyscrapers that once teemed with activity stand largely idle – testament to a work-from-home addiction that Americans refuse to quit.

It’s estimated that more than one billion square feet of office space lies empty in the US, the equivalent of a 48,000-storey block as high as the International

Space Station.

Employers desperate to lure staff back are offering increasingly attractive perks at “trophy” towers.

These range from minted dental floss, fluffy towels and high-end soaps and lotions in office toilets to stateof-the art, marble-walled gyms.

Brookfield, one of America’s largest owners of commercial office space, says Americans now expect “amenity packages” suited to “evolving business culture”.

The city of Washington is leaning into its trophy inventory – with new offices popping up close to the White House, including 2050 M Street, which features “high-end fitness centres” and “landscaped parks”.

Justin Chapman, of Skanksa USA Commercial Development, says workplaces now need to be sustainable, efficient and “inspiring” – with a sense of “wellbeing”. The firm’s new DC development (inset) aims to maximise natural light and offers a roof deck and terraces. But four years after the pandemic, millions of workers are reluctant to be forced back into the office.

Skylor Bee-Latty, a 30-year-old digital marketing manager, moved from Washington DC to Los Angeles last year to work as a digital nomad at her home overlooking Venice Beach – with no expectation of ever occupying an office on a fulltime basis again.

Ms Bee-Latty is not convinced a trophy space is enough to roll back workers’ shift in perspective. “Work-life balance is very important,” she told i. “I think everyone can agree that one of the worst parts of going into the office is the commute.

“Most Americans can’t afford to live in a place where the commute to work is going to be easy-breezy, so if you have this trophy office in the nicest part of town, people can’t afford to live there unless they’re paid more.”

So much can be done remotely, it seems almost nonsensical to have someone come in every day