Federal Agencies Struggle to Meet Return-to-Office Goals Despite Calls from Biden Administration and Congress, According to Real Estate Roundtable Report
According to a recent report by the Real Estate Roundtable, federal agencies have yet to achieve their return-to-office objectives despite pressure from the Biden administration and Congress. Only about half of cabinet agencies have met the goal of returning employees back into physical workplaces by January 2024.
John Fish, chair of the Real Estate Roundtable, expressed industry concerns over this delay in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. He noted that even outside Washington D.C., other areas with large federal workforces are also facing challenges in bringing workers back into offices. This includes cities like Boston, Denver and Northern Virginia where occupancy rates have significantly decreased.
JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle) reported that while many companies are shifting towards hybrid work models and reducing office visits, both federal and state governments remain hesitant to make changes in their space needs. In a recent survey on hybrid work conducted by JLL, only 10% of government clients stated that most employees will transition to shared seating – much lower than private sector clients at 41%.
Furthermore,JLL found that while only 13%of private sector clients do not anticipate any shared seating arrangements for their workforce moving forward,the number is significantly higher at41% for government clients.
This article was originally published on Connect CRE.
