Average weekly - 78%
Peak Day - Wednesday 87%
Low Day - Friday 52%
An increasing number of institutional employers are requiring more in-office attendance. Mandate announcements are being made almost daily, (see the Articles of Interest section below), this is not a new phenomenon. Summer has been the season for return to the office mandates since the beginning of COVID. Many of those early mandates to return to in-office work never materialized as intended.
This Fall may be different, Many of today’s mandates are qualified with a component of remote work permitted. The impact on the Index may not be much more than a modest increase, however, many of these mandates also suggest that remote work will be severely curtailed in 2026.
Enjoy the Articles of Interest below
Your SRRA Team,
Links to Articles of Interest
Canada’s Banks Stand on RTO No Longer an Isolated Case
Now that the Ontario government has moved the goalposts to the other end of the field, Canada’s banks are no longer finding themselves isolated from the mainstream. As RTO policies continue to experience bumps (such as not having sufficient spots for returning workers to work!) it is the HR professionals whose ascendance in the decision-making pecking order during COVID may be suffering, with evidence (cited in the article) below that the HR role is increasingly focused on mitigating C-suite decisions.
British Companies See Signs that Remote Work is Waning
As the economy shows increasing signs of stagnation in the face of global uncertainty, the latest trends from the U.K. suggest that support for remote work is waning. Question marks abound. Chamber of Commerce surveys show that companies want to put remote work into the dustbin of corporate policy, while a sizeable percentage of workers appear ready to quit rather than submit to attempts to force them back into the office.
Mcrosoft Looks to Join Other Tech Giants By Revoking Flexible Working Rules
Citing a need to stay competitive, Microsoft, which to date has been one of the most lenient corporate giants to allow staff to work from home, appears to be tightening its grip on worker flexibility.
Controversial Policy from Australia’s State of Victoria Gets a Negative Reaction
One jurisdiction in Australia is seeking to confirm its considerable influence on the job market by introducing legislation requiring companies to allow employees to work from home should they wish to do so. Not surprisingly, reaction from the private sector has been swift and unequivocal. The situation is fraught, however, as the State employs a disproportionate percentage of all office workers.
Will Uncertainty Become the New Normal?
Actions taken by the current U.S. administration appear to have spooked companies across the globe, with growing evidence that fewer firms are actively hiring new staff, with many officially declaring a hiring freeze. This is a stark contrast to the days of COVID when workers felt able to quit, with employees deciding to play it safe and stay put. Will companies this side of the border reflect these global trends for the foreseeable future?
Big Apple Office Market Showing Resilience and Faster Recovery Than Most
With wild swings up, down and sideways, the U.S. office market has been experiencing significant surges and declines since the pandemic was declared over. The latest indicator that the Big Apple is more resilient than smaller regional markets is a decision by J.P. Morgan to centralize a massive percentage of office staff in new digs.
Provincial Government Mandate Announcement
Premier Doug Ford’s announcement in early August caused fewer ripples than might have been expected. The “big return” begins in this Fall with four days mandatory, then starting in 2026, Ontario’s public service will be expected to turn up to their offices five days a week. The announcement took CUPE by surprise, (see second link).
Read Article Here. and Read Article Here.
“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],”