COVID Impact On Office Space Update May 28, 2020

Salesforce, with 9,000 employees in three San Francisco office towers, will have temperature scans on every floor, mandatory masks, six-foot separations, hand sanitizers everywhere and cleaning throughout the day. Work areas and conference rooms will be at half-capacity or less and employees will arrive at staggered times. The Bay Area Council surveyed 123 companies last week and found that when offices reopen, nearly 90% expect to have partial work-from-home with 18% expect total remote working. Two-thirds will rotate workers on alternate schedules.

Bisnow interviewed Rockspring President Michael Ross, “How do you think coronavirus could permanently affect the way real estate does business?” And he replied “I think the office markets will be the most permanently impacted, the work-from-home model will become more prevalent. It won’t happen overnight, but as leases renew or companies are shopping for new office space, the size and structure of those spaces will change to accommodate a workforce that isn’t forced to be in the office from 9-5, five days a week.”