Atlanta office ghost towns wait and wait and wait for workers’ to return (renters, neighborhood)

[JMatl]

.

Originally Posted by sedimenjerry

My company was trying to do a phased back to the office for people who wanted to go back. That got fully axed in November.
They probably won't re-try that until Summer. Mandatory back in the office maybe in the Fall but who knows.

I know the company is saving a lot of money just on travel. I'm starting a training program that normally would send a couple dozen workers from across the country to one state for a few weeks, then back "home", then to another office for a few weeks, back home, then back to the original for a few weeks. That's flights, lodging, and meals that they aren't having to pay for. I won't lie, I wish they'd give us an extra bonus or something, at least for the meals.
There's also the "extra" stuff at the office. Lunch every so often, cake for bdays, breakfast every so often, etc.

I'm not going to lie, I really miss traveling for work. I especially miss flying to San Diego, where my client and our execs are based. That's always a very enjoyable trip.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by JMatl

.

I'm not going to lie, I really miss traveling for work. I especially miss flying to San Diego, where my client and our execs are based. That's always a very enjoyable trip.

Part of my new job will involve travel. In fact that was one of the questions during the interview, are you ok with travelling and I said "hell yes". Well not quite but I said it wasn't a problem. I enjoyed doing facility visits at an old job a few years ago. Basically got paid to road trip. This position could have me travelling nationally. The chance to go some place, eat on company dime, see some local sights. I could handle that. And it's not like I'll be traveling all the time. Vast majority of the job will be in office which will be nice. Get tired of seeing the office every day and it'll be time to go somewhere.

[Need4Camaro]

The hospitality and travel industry has taken a serious blow by these recent events. Some speculate that business travel may never fully return to normal with people shifting more and more to remote work .. Delta on the other hand appears to have a different standpoint on the matter:

https://thepointsguy.com/news/delta-...siness-travel/

Hopefully business travel and hospitality ramp up again in the future.

I personally don't miss commuting. I was already working mostly remote before the Pandemic, I will say though the times I have to go in, its absolutely freakish coming into a massive complex with completely empty parking lots, vacated buildings, noone in the cafeterias, all the seats and tables empty, clean, all the vendors closed up. Its eerie. Traffic here in AUS has actually decreased again as of late. It has never been this light here.

As for traveling though, alot of my travel was on the spur of the moment based and last minute Air Tickets rack up in costs pretty quickly, esp when adding a rental car on the tab, so I typically just drove. My road travel has also subsided a bit as of late though.

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by sedimenjerry

Part of my new job will involve travel. In fact that was one of the questions during the interview, are you ok with travelling and I said "hell yes". Well not quite but I said it wasn't a problem. I enjoyed doing facility visits at an old job a few years ago. Basically got paid to road trip. This position could have me travelling nationally. The chance to go some place, eat on company dime, see some local sights. I could handle that. And it's not like I'll be traveling all the time. Vast majority of the job will be in office which will be nice. Get tired of seeing the office every day and it'll be time to go somewhere.

I hear you. For a number of years I also flew internationally a lot. 6 continents, close to 50 countries.

One trip I had a spare evening and took a walking trip of Rome. One of the other people on the tour (almost all couples) asked me what I was doing there...I said it was a business trip.

She said, “your company sends you to Rome? Mine sends me to Atlanta!” Lol

[bellhead]

Doubt it ever returns to what it was pre-covid. The amount of money just on utilities being saved is in the 7 figure range for a large office building. Workers are happier & productivity is up. Going to be hard to justify going back to the office.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by bellhead

Doubt it ever returns to what it was pre-covid. The amount of money just on utilities being saved is in the 7 figure range for a large office building. Workers are happier & productivity is up. Going to be hard to justify going back to the office.

That brings up another question though...

...What will happen to existing offices, and the ones that they are constructing at this point?

[bellhead]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

That brings up another question though...

...What will happen to existing offices, and the ones that they are constructing at this point?

This was a article I read last month on flex leasing, as these leases are usually shorter than traditional leases, they are serving as sort of a canary in the coal mine. The long term forecast is a glut of office space.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/co-work...us-11608037201

Office buildings are often considered relatively protected from economic shocks because most tenants are locked into long-term leases of five years and often more. Landlords could count on steady income even at times when corporate profits are down.


The rise of co-working and other forms of flexible, short-term office space is starting to change that dynamic. These spaces make up a growing share of the office market in cities like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Because co-working leases typically last only a few months to a year, vacancies are starting to soar when many companies are working remotely.

That trend could make the office market more volatile, heightening booms and busts, with powerful implications for investors. Banks are typically less eager to finance properties with fluctuating income, investors say, leading to higher mortgage costs.

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by sedimenjerry

Part of my new job will involve travel. In fact that was one of the questions during the interview, are you ok with travelling and I said "hell yes". Well not quite but I said it wasn't a problem. I enjoyed doing facility visits at an old job a few years ago. Basically got paid to road trip. This position could have me travelling nationally. The chance to go some place, eat on company dime, see some local sights. I could handle that. And it's not like I'll be traveling all the time. Vast majority of the job will be in office which will be nice. Get tired of seeing the office every day and it'll be time to go somewhere.

Congrats on the new job, and sounds great! I love doing site visits, and meeting face to face and seeing facilities in person can't be replaced by zoom. Some business travel may never return, but my client holds multiple global events throughout the year that attract a lot of people. Right now they're doing it virtually, and their revenue is a small fraction of what it is versus doing it live. They're waiting for wide spread vaccinations and global barriers to reopen, and are chomping at the bit to get back 'out there.' I am very fortunate to have them, they like me and don't want to deal with anyone else after working with me for 8+ years.

[Citykid3785]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

That brings up another question though...

...What will happen to existing offices, and the ones that they are constructing at this point?

Right. I work for a company that built a nice new HQ in Sept of 2019. If they go back permanently like 2 days/wk, that's still too little to justify ever opening the cafeteria again for instance. What company can swallow their pride after investing that kind of money and say "we don't need the cafeteria we just built....ever again."

[bellhead]

I do think buildings with views will have more value, as people like a great view not only for commercial spaces but also for condos. In NYC & Chicago, a lot of apartments & condo's are former commercial buildings.