Covid-19 Vaccine Outlook Prompts Businesses to Dust Off Return-to-Office Plans – The Wall Street Journal

Office-building landlords are hoping that the massive Covid-19 vaccination campaign launched in the U.S. this month will lead to millions of people returning to workplaces in 2021 after spending most of the pandemic working from home.

But it isnt going to be soon. Rather, a widespread return probably wont take place until the late spring or early summer of 2021 when enough people have been vaccinated in the U.S. for the population to come close to achieving herd immunity, according to public-health professionals and executives in the real-estate industry.

Moreover, the office world that will be reinhabited next year will look a lot different from the one that was hurriedly vacated in mid-March when the fear of Covid-19 sent much of the U.S. labor force into lockdown. During an initial transition period, office density likely will be low, workers will wear masks and a range of other safety precautions will be followed.

Long-term changes in the workplace will continue for years. Working from home and other remote locations, which became a necessity during the pandemic, will likely remain a major part of the workplace, employers and real-estate executives say.

Businesses that are highly competitive for top talent will likely begin opening small satellite offices in metropolitan areas and offering employees the option of working there, at home or in centralized headquartersor a combination of the three.Design firm Gensler already is working with a half dozen Fortune 100 companies on such hub-and-spoke strategies, as they are becoming known in the office industry, said Joseph Brancato, co-chairman of the firm.

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Covid-19 Vaccine Outlook Prompts Businesses to Dust Off Return-to-Office Plans - The Wall Street Journal