Office-based work won't disappear completely due to COVID-19, but the pandemic will likely forever change it, reports The New York Times.
Demand for office spaces will likely diminish "to a moderate degree," wrote the Times. Most office activity will be redistributed in smaller chunks in and between cities, instead of moving solely to the home, meaning many workers won't simultaneously commute to a single business district.
This redistribution could spur some property in traditional employment districts to be repurposed for residential and commercial use. Meanwhile, residential property, hotels and retail shops may need to make changes to accommodate a boost in demand among workers for shorter commutes, according to theTimes.
Becker's has reported similar trends in healthcare, with some health systems opting to move nonclinical employees to a hybrid model or permanent remote work. Eric Neil, interim CIO of Seattle-based UW Medicine, for example, said UW's IT team would be working mostly remotely from now on, and that UW has terminated two of its real estate leases and converted its remaining offices into hotel spaces that can be reserved by teams when needed.