Remote work here to stay? Designers talk office changes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As most Charlotte companies will soon hit the one-year anniversary of nearly all-remote work, speculation around the future of offices continues.

And while there’s not exactly an end in sight, Covid-19 vaccine distribution is well underway across the United States, and more companies are going public with their long-term real estate plans and work arrangements.

Behemoths like Salesforce and Microsoft have said remote work will be a permanent fixture for their future. In Charlotte, Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good has used a popular term — hybrid model — to describe how the company’s 7,700 local employees will work after the pandemic, which will have some repercussions for its real estate. Accounting firm Grant Thornton is relocating its Charlotte office from uptown to South End, slicing its footprint nearly in half as part of the move.

The general thought among many in real estate and related industries is that office space will be needed — but how much and what will it look like?

Charlotte-based corporate interior designers and architects say they are actively working with companies now on investigating, surveying and piloting ways to reconfigure space to welcome back workers later this year.

CBJ talked with several experts in the field about what they’re hearing from clients. Read the full story here.

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