In February, when the coronavirus epidemic became a global pandemic, few would have sincerely predicted that the crisis would have continued to the situation we find ourselves in today. As of mid-October, less than 15% of office workers have returned in New York City, the largest office market in the US, according to the Partnership for New York City. The situation in other US cities is similar, average office building occupancy rates nationwide stand at around 25% as increasing outbreaks force, or strongly encourage, an extension of remote work policies. Certainty about the end of the crisis has not increased much either, leaving employers and building owners in limbo on when we might return to the office, with an increasing number asking if the workplace will ever be the same again. “Offices and office workers are in a holding pattern, not ready to commit to working from home or the office. And the future of […]