Return to downtown offices ramping up, poll shows

Downtown Montreal's office towers are filling up again — one desk at a time.

Sixty-one per cent of respondents in a Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal poll released Wednesday say they are now back in the office at least part of the time, including 29 per cent on a full-time basis. The first number compares to scores of 47 per cent in August and 28 per cent in June.

“This is a very promising advance for the revitalization of downtown Montreal,” Chamber of Commerce head Michel Leblanc said in a statement.

The latest survey comes two days after the release of data showing that activity in downtown Montreal has more than tripled this year. Foot traffic in the central business district is up about 212 per cent since Jan. 5, trailing only New York among 23 major North American municipalities, real-estate advisory firm Avison Young said Monday.

Some 71 per cent of respondents in the Chamber of Commerce poll said they're comfortable returning to work in person. Flexible office hours represent a major incentive to return to work, according to 62 per cent of employees surveyed. Forty-one per cent said they prefer spending two or three days a week in the office.

More than six out of 10 employees polled expressed enthusiasm about the idea of taking part in professional networking events or conferences and meeting their co-workers face-to-face.

While teleworking remains popular, with a 76-per-cent approval rate, it's not without its drawbacks. Forty per cent of respondents noted a loss of team spirit, while 35 per cent said they felt socially isolated and 29 per cent said they were having trouble keeping their private and professional lives separate.

COVID -19 remains a major concern. Seventy-two per cent of respondents said they were worried about potential contact with unvaccinated colleagues, while more than half said they would be ready to stay at home to avoid potential contact with these individuals.

Seventy-nine per cent of workers polled said they approve the use of the vaccine passport in the workplace. Only 53 per cent said they have confidence that using public transit is safe.

Léger and the Chamber of Commerce polled 604 Montreal-area employees and executives from Oct. 26 to Nov. 5 as part of the “I love to work downtown” initiative. Further surveys will be conducted over the coming months.