How Birmingham is returning to work

Many Birmingham companies will be embracing a hybrid model with work-from-home options as they emerge from the pandemic.

That’s one of the big takeaways from the latest Birmingham Power Poll, which is a monthly poll of local leaders.

The Birmingham Power Poll is not a scientific poll, but does offer a window into the perspectives of influential Birmingham community and business leaders.

Nearly half (47.7%) of respondents in the poll said they will take a hybrid approach that allows employees to work from home some days but requires them to visit the office sometimes. Only 4.5% of respondents said their organizations were going fully remote. 

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Still, many organizations appear to shunning the work-from-home model, despite national surveys that show employees want more flexibility. 

The survey also shed light on where things stand on the return in Birmingham. 

Half of respondents said 100% of their workers are back in the office or never left. 

Another 29.5% plan to have everyone back this summer, while 15.9% are still working on their plan. 

One bright side for the local commercial real estate scene is most respondents don’t expect to reduce their office space, even if they are allowing more work from home.

Just 13.6% of respondents believe they’ll reduce office’s square footage, which is the same percentage that expects to increase their office space. 

The Power Poll surveyed 148 leaders with a response rate of 29%.