It's Return to the Office. Opportunities For Success.
- Jason Bryant
- May 8
- 4 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Challenges and Opportunities for the Tenant Finishes Industry.
It wasn’t that long ago that it looked like remote working would be the wave of the future. Not so fast. More companies are now requiring workers to be physically present in the office. Companies like Amazon, Citigroup, Dell, Goldman Sachs, and many others require employees to return to the office for a full 5-day workweek. Others, like Apple, Google, KPMG, and Nationwide, have adopted a hybrid model of 2 -3 days in the office. And, of course, the federal government has implemented its back-to-the-office policy.
The “Return to the Office" (RTO) trend hasn’t quite caught up in Denver, however. As of January 2025, a 17.2% vacancy rate of commercial real estate in downtown Denver is one of the highest in the nation. That might be due to the more prominence of remote and hybrid work models of high-tech sector workers who have led the way in flexible working. But sooner or later, RTO is bound to catch up. The challenge is improving the RTO environment's appeal and the impact on office design and tenant improvements.
How Return to the Office Can Be More Productive and Profitable
There are strong arguments on both sides of working from home (WFH) versus returning to the office (RTO). Either way, the pendulum has swung to an RTO or hybrid model for the immediate future. However, employee expectations about what RTO looks like have changed from just a few years ago. The traditional office of 2019 is being rethought. The goal is for employees to look forward to returning to the office rather than being forced to.
“Employees won’t just be pushed to return—they’ll feel the pull of smarter design and want to come back because they know the office is where they’re set up to do their best work.” Fast Company
The key priorities for today’s office present new challenges for the designer and the contractor. Physical and psychological well-being are equally important as productivity and efficiency. There are many things to consider, but three challenges rise to the top.
Privacy Reduces Stress
The open office has, and continues to be, a prominent theme in office design. It facilitates collaboration and positive culture. However, there are disadvantages that present challenges. An open office plan limits the physical environment and the ability to accommodate different functional needs of employees. One of the most common complaints is a lack of privacy. This can impact both communication and concentration. Design solutions include access to break-out rooms, conference rooms, and various types of “privacy rooms.” But noise and sound distractions hinder the ability to focus and concentrate in an open office.
However, what can’t necessarily be solved through design can be addressed through technological advancements in sound management. Companies like BlueWave Audio specialize in solving sound and noise issues. This will become a priority in addressing the ideal RTO environment.
Healthy Environments Increase Productivity
Today’s office has to be more than functional. It has to be healthy. Both employees and employers are more aware of the importance of a healthy environment.
Design can play an essential role in promoting a healthy workplace. Natural lighting, materials, furnishings, sound management, and air quality offer some solutions for creating workplace health. Interestingly, plants can have a more profound effect on office health than you might expect. Plants are more than decorative. For example, they can increase the relative humidity when the air might otherwise be dry. They can reduce excessive CO2 levels. Research has shown that plants can even help reduce noise levels. Plants can also affect the perception of room temperature.
“The physical environment is known to influence mental health, with impacts on productivity and workplace culture; having an impact not only on employees at a personal level but also on the organization’s productivity as a whole, suggesting that time and resources focused on creating an environment that promotes well-being would benefit employers in multiple ways.” University of Rochester Medical Center
A healthy workplace is a productive workplace. Today, there are more opportunities to create and sustain a work environment that supports the worker’s well-being.
“Plants contribute to a higher satisfaction, positive mood, less perceived stress, greater concentration, and fewer health-related complaints.” National Library of Medicine
Engagement Improves Profitability
Employee engagement is the degree to which employees are involved in, motivated by, committed to, and passionate about their work and the organization they work for. It’s about the emotional connection employees have to their workplace. It is the foundation of what makes collaboration work, creates a healthy work culture, and generates greater company performance.
“Organizations with the highest levels of engagement were 22% more profitable and 21% more productive than organizations with low engagement. Most impressive is that organizations with engaged employees outperform organizations without high engagement by 202%” The Value of Employment Engagement
Design that considers employee engagement can be simple solutions that motivate collaboration and inspire innovation. Incorporating natural light, ergonomic furniture, communal break areas, and dedicated private spaces can boost employee mood and productivity. Natural elements like plants and organic materials reduce stress, increase creativity, and foster overall well-being. Even color can be strategically chosen to influence mood and energy levels, creating a more positive and engaging work environment.
Design is an opportunity to create a sense of belonging and shared purpose, resulting in higher employee engagement.
Meeting the Challenges
Owners, Architects, Engineers, and Contractors will continue to collaborate closely to ensure that the priorities of the “Return-to-the-office” environment can help motivate employees to return to the office. More importantly, employees should feel good and productive about returning to the office.
Our role at PMG is to make sure we are doing all that we can to bring the architect’s and designer’s vision of the office to life. This year we've teamed up with BlueWave Audio on many projects to help actively solve sound management challenges. We are excited that we are finding new ways to make the office experience healthy and productive.
At PMG we look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with architects, designers and our other partners to make returning to work is something that employees can look forward to. For more information on how we can help reach out to me, Jason, at Jason@pmgconstruction.com.