As we step into 2025, one of the most notable shifts in the workplace may revolve around Return To Office (RTO) attendance policies. According to a recent poll conducted during a CoStar New York office webinar, a significant portion of employees anticipates changes to their office attendance requirements in the new year. This shift follows broader trends in the corporate world, with many companies revisiting their stance on remote and hybrid work arrangements.
The webinar, which included 350 CoStar users, revealed that around two-thirds (67%) of respondents believe their companies will reconsider their office attendance policies. Specifically, 38% of those surveyed think it is "likely" that their company will adjust its policy, with a 50% to 80% chance of change. An additional 29% feel that change is "highly likely," meaning there’s more than an 80% chance of a shift in attendance expectations.
This sentiment follows a wave of companies reintroducing or tightening office attendance requirements in the wake of the pandemic. Major players like AT&T, JPMorgan Chase, UPS, and Amazon have already made moves to require employees to return to the office full-time. For many, this is a departure from the hybrid or fully remote arrangements that gained traction during the pandemic.
The trend toward full-time office work has extended beyond the private sector into the public realm as well. In late 2024, following the election of Donald Trump, the newly elected administration took swift action to reverse remote and hybrid work policies across federal agencies. Trump’s executive order, signed on his first day in office, mandated a full return to the office for federal employees, signaling a broader government push for on-site work.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2025/01/opm-directs-agencies-to-quickly-comply-with-trumps-return-to-office-mandate/
Despite the return-to-office trend, not all employees are expecting changes. A third of those who participated in the webinar poll do not anticipate that their company will make any significant adjustments to its attendance policies in 2025. Among this group, 21% believe changes are "unlikely," with a 20% to 50% chance of revisions, while 12% consider the chances of policy change to be "highly unlikely," with less than a 20% chance of modification.
So, what does all of this mean for the commercial real estate Office sector? Office building owners in New York City are particularly enthusiastic about the results. After a slow recovery period post-pandemic, the leasing market in New York has seen a resurgence. The available office space in the city recently dropped below 100 million square feet for the first time in four years, signaling a potential boost in demand for in-person office environments. For landlords, the shift back to the office could bring a much-needed revitalization to the commercial real estate market.
While the push for office attendance may be driven by corporate strategies and a desire for increased collaboration, productivity and accountability, it also reflects broader economic and social shifts. As more companies re-evaluate their remote work policies, employees and employers alike are weighing the balance between flexibility and the traditional office experience.
For now, it seems that the future of office attendance in 2025 is uncertain, but the trend toward full-time in-office work appears to be gaining strong momentum. Whether this shift will become permanent or evolve into a new hybrid approach remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the workplace is evolving once again.
