Companies are monitoring and enforcing office attendance at the highest rate in 5 years

In the past year, U.S. companies made more progress in getting employees back to the office than at any time since 2020, when the pandemic fundamentally changed the traditional work paradigm.

In the past year, U.S. companies made more progress in getting employees back to the office than at any time since 2020, when the pandemic fundamentally changed the traditional work paradigm. This is according to a forthcoming report from CBRE, due out next week. While some employers have gone fully remote and some offer hybrid work opportunities, the push is on to get more workers back to the office.

Nearly three quarters of the 184 companies surveyed by CBRE said they have met their attendance goals, up from 61% last year. The share of companies monitoring attendance jumped to 69% this year from 45% last year, and those enforcing attendance policies rose to 37% from 17%. Companies in the survey said they want employees in the office an average of 3.2 days a week. Actual attendance, however, is slightly below that.

“I think it was pretty loosey goosey for the last year or two, and I think the companies have got a lot better at that right now,” said Manish Kashyap, CBRE’s global president of leasing. “They’re coming up with policies that allow hybrid structures and allow flexibility, but whatever their new policy is, their implementation around that, and the governance around that, is definitely a lot better.”

More companies said they expect to expand their office footprints, rather than contract, according to the survey. Over the past several years there has been a huge slowdown in office development and a surge in conversions to residential.

The majority of survey respondents, 67% of companies, said they will either keep their office footprints at the same size or expand them within the next three years, up from 64% a year ago. For expansion, most pointed to business or headcount growth. About a third said they will reduce their space, down from 36% last year and 53% in 2023.