ON ZOOM OR IN THE ROOM?
Connecticut employers weigh remote work vs. return the office
Norwalk’s Merritt 7 Corporate Park on Wednesday afternoon had the look of a Sunday morning at the height of August vacation season. Barely 200 vehicles sprinkled the triple-tier parking decks that run the length of the multibuilding complex along Main Avenue.
The garages were similarly barren at the glitzy Towers complex, across the Metro-North tracks, where just two vehicles were parked in commuter spaces. At a comparatively modest office building at 488 Main, the scene was much the same.
On May 20, Gov. Ned Lamont allowed Connecticut employers to reopen offices at half capacity, with safety requirements including reconfigured desk layouts to allow more space between workers.
His staff continues to monitor roll-out openings not only of offices but other venues including restaurants, salons and this week gyms and movie theaters. Day camps return on Monday.
“So far, the (safety) protocols were handled very scrupulously,” Lamont said Thursday. “People are slowly getting back to work . ... Every two weeks, we’re opening up things a little bit — subject to things working out.”
Lamont has yet to give any indication of when he will allow larger percentages of office workers to return — his current slate of executive orders expire in September.
But in the present and likely immediate future, many office-based employers appear content to continue remote working arrangements — as they weigh the question of whether to begin tugging workers back to the premises they lease, or institute flex-work policies permanently.
In mid-May, the CEO of Ethan Allen Interiors said the Danbury-based furniture manufacturer was already seeing the trend becoming apparent in its sales during the pandemic.
“There has been somewhat of an increase in home office,” said Ethan Allen CEO Farooq Kathwari. “Home is a haven. People are spending more time (there) — they’re learning how to operate, so it has to be functional.”
‘Third places’ in play?
In a Vanson Bourne survey published this week by Xerox, employers said they expect about four in five workers to be back at offices by the end of next year, some sooner, but others pushing out the window further. More than half of companies surveyed have increased their information technology budgets to allow remote workers to better connect with colleagues, customers and vendors.
Xerox did not provide any timeline for how soon its workers will filter back to its Merritt 7 headquarters and other facilities, but CEO John Visentin said in a late April conference call that the question was at the top of his mind, as it was for many in his shoes.
“It’s important to remember working from home is not a new concept — many companies have implemented flexible policies over the last ten to twenty years, and many in
“I can tell you this: in all the conversations I’m having with CEOs, government officials and others, the prevailing question isn’t whether to return to the office — it’s when.” Xerox CEO John Visentin
recent years also asked employees to return to offices to speed decision-making and foster collaboration,” Visentin said. “I can tell you this: in all the conversations I’m having with CEOs, government officials and others, the prevailing question isn’t whether to return to the office — it’s when. That said, the next pressing issue businesses are dealing with is ensuring their employees can be productive ... when they are working from home.”
From its own, ongoing survey of more than 40,000 people working from home since the outbreak of the pandemic, Cushman & Wakefield predicts half will become part of what the commercial real estate brokerage dubs a “total workplace ecosystem” that combines home and office environments as well as “third places” where individuals might meet, be they cafes, coworking spaces or other milieus.
While the large majority of survey respondents told Cushman & Wakefield that collaboration and productivity has increased during the pandemic, they allowed that personal connections and bonding has suffered. That was particularly the case for those below age 40, particularly the youngest “Generation Z” workers who might be in relatively small apartments or otherwise juggling space with roommates.
Across all ages, those polled said they have difficulties maintaining the same level of vitality and energy throughout the workday as they do at the office.
“It’s hard to go about your day and not really have any contact,” said Jim Fagan, executive managing director in the Stamford office of Cushman & Wakefield. “Zoom meetings will only take you so far — but I do think everybody’s amazed at how well it’s worked.”
Cushman & Wakefield sees offices evolving to what it calls “inspiring destinations” that will help people bond and tap creative impulses, with workers using online channels to reserve desk and conference space as needed. Lockers will be furnished for any personal belongings — and plenty of sanitizer will be available.
FactSet has such a setup at its new Norwalk headquarters, which it was forced to shutter just months after getting the keys late last year. Relocating from Merritt 7 to Xerox’s former headquarters at 45 Glover Ave. in The Towers, FactSet built the office to accommodate more than 1,000 workers, but will keep it empty for the balance of this year.
Many others appear to be playing it similarly safe, at least for now, as they stay vigilant for any spike in illnesses that could prompt a new round of school and office closures.
“This isn’t the year we planned for,” Visentin said. “This is the one we have.”