Almost half of remote workers in Texas say they’d leave if forced to return to the office

As the pandemic reaches its two-year mark, the landscape of the American workplace seems to have permanently changed.

Though many Americans are attending sporting events, traveling internationally and enjoying movies and restaurants, they’re still not returning to the office, according to the Dallas Business Journal.

Last week, office occupancy in Dallas-Fort Worth dropped to 44 percent from 52 percent in early December – the area’s post-pandemic peak. The dip coincided with surges in hospitalizations caused by the omicron variant.

Overall, Texas metro areas Dallas, Houston and Austin have consistently ranked near the top in this metric during the pandemic. The region ranks relatively high in nationwide office occupancy compared with 30 percent in Chicago, 31 percent in New York and 35 percent in Los Angeles, according to Kastle Systems, a security provider that tracks people entering and leaving office buildings around the country.

Texas’ COVID hospitalizations have fallen sharply in the past month, and on Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased safety protocols. These new relaxed guidelines have helped entertainment and retail bounce back to pre-pandemic performance, but less so for offices.

As of last week, NBA attendance hit approximately 93 percent of pre-pandemic levels, Kastle reported. The Dallas Mavericks have seen an even higher share of fans. Restaurant dining, air travel and movies attracted over 87 percent of their pre-pandemic crowds as well.

“This is no longer about health and safety because the same people who aren’t going into the office are choosing to do other things,” said Mark Ein, Kastle’s chairman. “They’ve developed new rhythms, patterns and habits for work. And breaking that inertia now is very difficult.”

Many employees working from home have enjoyed improved personal lives and job performance. In one survey, 42 percent of remote workers said they’d look for another job or even quit if forced to return to the worksite.

“It just shows that human nature holds, right? People make different choices based on what’s convenient or enjoyable for them,” said Angela Farley, chief operating officer of the Dallas Regional Chamber.

Though Texas metros occupy the top three positions in returning workers, Ein believes these cities may widen the gap even more due to the state’s policies and culture.

For instance, the fact that the Texas cities don’t rely on mass transit as much serves as a major advantage in getting workers back to the office. The state also has a famous pro-business approach on the economy with many lawmakers pushing communities to return to normal.

Office occupancy in the three metros is on track to top 70 percent by summer, said Ein–roughly 20 points higher than the national average. Employers everywhere will make a stronger push to return soon, and he believes the message will resonate.

[Dallas Business Journal] – Maddy Sperling