Average weekly - 65%
Peak Day - Wednesday 74%
Low Day - Friday 38%
There was very little change in the data for the last 2 weeks of April. Tuesday and Thursday are increasing but the peak day remains Wednesday. Fridays showed a slight decrease while Mondays increased by 3 points.
Those employees who are not in the office due to holidays, business travel, sick days etc. and are working outside of the office is almost a third of the office-based workforce. We expect that with new workplace attendance policies gradually coming into effect over the spring and summer, we expect the out of office workforce to be decrease to approximately 25%.
The most frequently asked question is, ‘what does the Index mean’ The Index is a measure of how many people are coming into the office relative to the number who would have come to the office to work prior to the COVID shutdown in early 2022. Should the Index reach 75% that would mean the average employee is now working one out of every four days at home, whereas before COVID they would have worked a 5-day week in the office. If you require more clarification, please contact us.
Your SRRA team
Links to Articles of Interest
Federal Workers Baulk at Requirement to be in Office Three Days a week
Promising a “summer of discontent,” unionized federal employees are crying foul over a requirement to be present in the office at least three days a week. Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe emphasizes devastating impact on downtown Ottawa as workers stay home. The aspirational plan to convert many federal offices to housing will make things even worse, he says.
Globe Editorial Supports Return to Office for federal workers
“The negative effects on municipal economies and operations (of working from home) are much more clear. Downtown Ottawa is a shadow of its pre-pandemic self; ridership on its transit system, as with many other cities, has yet to fully rebound. The government’s move to increase office working hours will put more people on transit, and more dollars into the downtown.
Office Conversions Not Necessarily to Condos CBRE Reports
This Globe columnist highlights CBRE research that says 43% of office conversions are for hotel, educational and other high value uses – not just condos. Keller also points to the opportunity for suburban employers to move into newly vacant spaces downtown to offer 20-something workers relief from “the living hell” represented by suburban locations.
Skeptical Take on Office to Condo Craze in Manhattan Offers Important Insights
The king of conversions, who has been honing his craft for decades, cynically creates tiny condo spaces designed to cater to young college grads who only plan to stay a year at most. As the inventory of such conversions expands, what does this say for future demographic needs?
TTC to Expand 24 Bus Routes
Important improvements in bus service driven by political need.
London To Get Many More Tall Buildings
Responding to an increase in the number of workers in the City since the pandemic and high demand for high quality office space, the City is looking to dramatically increase inventory of tall buildings “to help accommodate the hospitality, leisure, social and cultural destinations that are flocking to the City.”
Different System, but Does New York’s Approach to Protecting Affordability Merit a Closer Look?
Following the collapse of a bank supporting investments in affordable housing, New York is tapping its employee pension fund to maintain the portfolio.
“The Occupancy Index is supported by the City of Toronto, Downtown Yonge BIA, and Downtown West BIA. It is a measure of the percentage of office employees returning to the office compared to the number of employees who would normally have come to their offices pre-COVID. For a detailed description of the calculation please contact Iain Dobson at [email protected],”