Occupancy Index - March 1, 2022

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The second anniversary of COVID in Canada and the March break for students is upon us. Though March may not see a further spike in the Index, expect more companies to start putting plans for work in the office into action.

From our interviews, employee demand for some in office time and employer’s efforts to reorganize the employee experience will push the Index to 25% by the end of April and possibly more. Office space in the 905 is already over the 25% occupancy level and this week’s articles below reveal a more bullish attitude to in office work.

Stay safe, your SRRA team.

Links to Articles of Interest

Dig beneath the headlines! 

Remote vs. office work: Don’t obsess over what employees want, instead answer these questions

Toronto mayor leading by example, encouraging people to return to the office

The banking sector in Toronto steps up with a decision to bring workers back to the office in March

Meanwhile, in the U.S. the return to working in the office is uneven at best – New York mayor pushing for a rapid return

Hybrid – No longer a term confined to cars!  Employers struggling to manage their way through conflicting messages…many firms see their workers in the driver’s seat when dictating work patterns

Meanwhile, in Chicago…a survey of top executives brings unexpected, unequivocal support for a return to the office (“Companies are finding out that while this experiment has shown we can do things differently, it’s also shown why people congregate in offices in the first place”)

“The Occupancy Index is supported by the City of Toronto, Financial District BIA, Bloor-Yorkville BIA, The Waterfront BIA, Downtown Yonge BIA, St Lawrence Market BIA and Toronto Entertainment District 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],”