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As employers around the world try to lure workers back to offices, those in Europe are seeing signs of progress.
Where in the world? Some 61% of the 121 companies queried by CBRE for its European Office Occupier Sentiment Survey said their office utilization rate is between 41% and 80%. Additionally, 33% of companies reported office utilization of 40% or less, versus 48% in 2023.
While 76% of respondents said they have attendance policies, 36% of those said they’re not mandatory. Regardless, 43% of employees are going into the office at least three days a week, up 6% since 2023; 39% report to the office two days a week.
Office attendance is rising, but 30% of companies said they’ll take steps to bring in more workers. Many companies are using technology to help with the RTO process. Roughly 25% of European employers said that occupancy sensors and space-booking software are the most important technology they are or are considering using.
Satellite view. Office utilization has been rising in most major US cities over the last year, according to the latest Office Busyness Index from Avison Young, a commercial real estate company.
Some companies, like Dell, are trying to encourage attendance by tying it to promotions, while others, like analytics firm Envoy, are incorporating it into performance reviews, HR Brew previously reported. Amazon, meanwhile, is tracking time spent in the office, as it tries to cut down on the “coffee badging” trend.
While working from an office is believed by some to promote communication and collaboration, a hybrid approach will likely reign moving forward.
“Folks are saying they value time in the office. They value time in-person with their colleagues,” Felicia Lyon, a partner at KPMG, told HR Brew earlier this year. “They just don’t want it like it was before, and they don’t want to go back to five days a week, long commutes, [and] missing kids’ soccer practice.”