Dec. 29, 2020 7:30 am ET
Opinions among CIOs and their employees vary on whether they prefer the physical office or remote work, as the pandemic continues to force more people to work from home.
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“With some variation by country, our data says that people appreciate how Ford has responded to the pandemic, providing flexibility and additional programs to support people while working remotely. We all miss the interaction with colleagues but do not want to return to previous ways of working.” Jeff Lemmer, chief information officer at Ford Motor Co.
“Through many surveys within our workforce and through similar observations from colleagues at other companies, a third of the workforce wants to be permanently remote, a third wants to come part time into the office and another third wants to be back full time in an office.” Sri Shivananda, chief technology officer at PayPal Holdings Inc.
Dec. 29, 2020 7:30 am ET
After working remotely for the better part of a year, employees have proven they can do it, and do it despite the difficulties being at home may have presented. Going forward, that means that where people work may have changed permanently, according to chief information officers.
“We do not see a return to the traditional five-day-a-week in the office likely happening again,” said Brad Peterson, chief technology and information officer at Nasdaq Inc.
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Like many CIOs, Mr. Peterson says a hybrid of home and office work will likely become the preferred option for most employees. Mr. Peterson was one of 45 IT executives who responded to CIO Journal’s annual end-of-year questionnaire on the future of the office and other topics.
Dec. 15, 2020 8:00 am ET
Empty co-working spaces are helping push office vacancies in big cities to levels not seen in decades, threatening the commercial-property sector’s reputation as a haven for investors.
Office buildings are often considered relatively protected from economic shocks because most tenants are locked into long-term leases of five years and often more. Landlords could count on steady income even at times when corporate profits are down.
The rise of co-working and other forms of flexible, short-term office space is starting to change that dynamic. These spaces make up a growing share of the office market in cities like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Because co-working leases typically last only a few months to a year, vacancies are starting to soar when many companies are working remotely.