Average weekly - 76%
Peak Day - Wednesday 87%
Low Day - Friday 47%
It is not surprising that since remote work became possible for many during COVID that the summer months have not reflected the increased desire of employers to have more in office attendance. The data reflects this trend. Fridays and Mondays continue to be poor attendance days. At the same time mid-week attendance this summer remains unchanged in the high 80% range.
For mandates calling for more than 75% in-office work to be successful there will have to be an increase in office attendance on Mondays and Fridays. Early data for the first two weeks of September suggests this may be the case.
Enjoy the Articles of Interest below
Your SRRA Team,
Links to Articles of Interest
Financial District BIA Supports Baby Love Beginnings – PATH Event Coincided with Increased Foot Traffic as Workers Return to the Office
With multiple companies pulling their employees back to the office more days a week, foot traffic is steadily increasing in the PATH. The Financial District BIA chose “Diaper Awareness Week” to show their support for “Baby Love Beginnings,” a local charity dedicated to providing diapers to the one in five Toronto families struggling with “diaper need” – a problem that causes 60 per cent of parents in this situation to miss work or school every month. The Financial District BIA (along with Downtown Yonge and Downtown West) was one of six downtown BIAs that helped launch the Occupancy Index with their investment in SRRA back in 2020. Today, the Index is “delivered” to more than 3,000 regular readers every month.
Read Article Here. and Read Article Here.
Moms Bear the Brunt of Back to the Office Mandates
The impact of having to give up on hybrid work is being felt by office workers in communities across Ontario. While the focus tends to be on what is happening in the province’s largest office market in downtown Toronto, workers in small communities – particularly working moms – are also feeling the pinch. Should the priority be on doing the best job or being the best mom? Time will tell.
Confusion in the Ranks – Mixed Messages on Rationale for Dumping Federal Office Space?
An ambitious plan to sell off or lease 50 per cent of the government’s office space by 2034 is being dialed back as the reality of trying to achieve that target while also demanding that workers spend more days in the office becomes clear. But is the driver just to achieve financial goals or to prompt more efficient use of space? How does reducing the federal office footprint square with comments made elsewhere that suggest a desire to reverse the negative impact that fewer office workers have on the vibrancy of Ottawa’s downtown? As civil service unions continue their campaign against a return-to-the-office mandate, the government will need to look closely at its messaging.
Ontario’s Public Servants Protest “Draconian” Requirement to Return to the Office Full-Time
Noisy protests grab the headlines, but it is worth digging into reporting below the fold to tease out the cons to counter the pros when it comes to inflexible mandates. With union leaders advising their members to seek “alternative” arrangements for situations where a strong case can be made to continue with hybrid work, the coming months are likely to see claims on both sides of the argument in support or criticizing the push to be in the office five days a week – the current demand from the provincial government come January.
Are Employees with Long Commutes More Tired and Less Engaged?
Complaints about the trials of long commutes are nothing new, but HR specialists are seeing an uptick in complaints and changes in how workers manage sick days. Wanting to preserve precious sick days could result in people coming into the office when everyone would be better off if they stayed home. For younger staff whose work experience began during the COVID era, these are proving to be challenging times. Experts advise doing an “Impact assessment” before introducing one-size fits all RTO mandates.
Super Tall Towers Changing Toronto’s Skyline
With 11 “super tall” structures in progress, Toronto is belatedly joining the cluster of cities around the world that have buildings 300 m and higher. While most of the local breed are condos with hotel space in some of them. Fascinating that the promo materials for such buildings use the word ‘community’ extensively. Not too much demand for office space at the 90th storey!
“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],”