This report published by BOMA International Deep Dive was published in March 2021. This report provides a reflection on the how the COVID-19 has changed commercial real estate. In “stage one,” tenants and property managers established hastily constructed work-from-home (WFH) protocols and the placement of plexiglass and hand sanitizer stations. The office space industry “normalized” under new—but often changing—rules of engagement in “stage two,” as employees grew accustomed to wearing masks and adjusted to working in a more solitary context. “Stage three” centered on planning for a return to work, albeit in fits and starts and in numbers still greatly reduced from the days of full occupancy. Stage four is still taking shape, and it will require decisions on how the office of the mid-term future looks both in physical appearance and in the protocols that will ensure tenant confidence.
Key words: Access Controls, Biometrics, Communications, Distance Learning/Training, Employee Productivity, Energy Management, HVAC, Identification Systems