New research shows that the number of companies willing to allow all employees to work remotely fell to 26% to 39% between March and September 2021 and 70% of survey respondents planned to institute policies that tighten up remote work eligibility and onsite requirements⁠—up from 60% in March. 

MRI Software partnered with CoreNet Global to survey a group of close to 200 tenants and landlords from a range of industries globally.

At the same time, the results also show that, overall, nearly 80% of responding commercial occupiers have increased the availability of remote work. Some 69% of respondents said that the worldwide shift to remote working during the pandemic has fundamentally changed their long-term approach to space usage⁠—only slightly down from 71% in March.

The research also found that landlords’ apprehension over the rise of remote working increased significantly over the same period, with 43% concerned about its impact on their business compared to just 26% in March.