By Greg Bedalov, President & CEO
Coming out of the pandemic, businesses were faced with many tough decisions. Chief among them: Should they keep their work-from-home policies, go back to the way things were, or find some middle ground? For most, the answer seemed to be the latter. But in the years since, many have struggled to find the right balance for their employees, their community, and their bottom line.
So, what’s the perfect balance? What’s the secret recipe? Is there a secret recipe?
Many have commented on this, with thoughts ranging from nostalgia for the “good old days” to a cautious, wait-and-see approach.
I’d rather start by looking at the data. Unemployment in DuPage is currently hovering just below 4% and has been for some time. Job growth has been somewhat robust, and employers continue to say that labor is the number one factor impacting their operations.
In short, it’s still an employee market, and that makes it difficult for many employers to mandate back-to-the-office policies. Today, the average percentage of workers in the office from Monday through Friday continues to be around 57%. And while office buildings are more active from Tuesday through Thursday, vacancy rates remain stubbornly high in the city and the suburbs, especially in Class-A buildings. Many are in foreclosure.
So, if the mandate is out there for workers to return to the office, where are the workers? Well, perhaps they’re in new roles with new organizations that have embraced a balanced approach. Or maybe, in some cases, their employers are giving them ample reasons to want to come back to the office.
That’s where I fall: the middle ground. I’m not trying to walk both sides of the fence here. Just suggesting that perhaps it’s time we were all a bit more honest with ourselves about this situation.
New Generation, New Approach
To be clear, there are benefits to bringing employees back to the office at least several days per week. It’s a great way to build culture, encourage collaboration, spark creative thinking, and, from a broader perspective, support our communities’ business ecosystem, such as the restaurants that feed the office crowd at lunch.
(There’s also the old adage, “If you want a job, work from home. If you want a career, get in the office.” That still has merit. But does it have as much as it used to? Do we really think that you can’t get promoted, network, collaborate and be creative if you’re not in your building 5 days a week? I find it quite interesting that I only hear the above commentary from more seasoned managers and leaders. I know several leaders in their 30s, and I’ve never once heard them say the same.)
There are some real benefits to working from home, too. Work-from-home policies give employees more flexibility, potentially reduce overhead, and allow businesses to source talent from a broader pool.
Also, there’s Gen Z and Gen Alpha to think about. Many talented members of younger generations expect and even demand more flexibility, and some companies with five-day-a-week policies may struggle to attract them.
And let’s be honest: The Gen Z and Alpha crowd have a skillset that many Boomers and Millennials can’t even begin to comprehend. Throw in AI, big data and technology in general and you have a recipe for embracing the resources that these team members bring to your organization. Does it really matter if they don’t want to sit in an office from nine to five?
Finally, there are many social factors that go into an individual’s preferred work arrangement. Childcare, housing costs and mental health all play critical roles in determining the right situation for employees. If employers want to attract talent, they need to take these factors seriously.
Where Do We Go from Here?
For me, it’s less about the “right” solution for all businesses and more about what’s right for your business.
As Billy Joel once said, the good old days weren’t always good, and tomorrow ain’t as bad it seems. Gen Zs and Alphas are running successful companies now, and more will be running companies very soon. Many of us boomers will be working for them, so we’d be wise to embrace their mindsets and their approach. They are going to solve problems that we haven’t even identified yet.
In the meantime, each company, and each individual, has different needs, and it seems to me that successfully running a business is about crafting policies accordingly—whenever possible. Sometimes, of course, it’s just not possible, and I respectfully submit that that’s okay. We’re all learning, and we need to manage our policies and our expectations. In general, hybrid models with at least some in-office time seem to be most effective for businesses and more beneficial for communities, but I’ve seen a variety of successful models within that vein.
But while many successful businesses have many different policies, I’d like to suggest that they all have one thing in common: They give people a reason to come into the office. Whether it’s five days a week or two, they make it enjoyable to be at work. They give people a reason to want to come in (and no, simply keeping their job is not a good enough reason).
This is one point that’s often missing from the in-office vs. remote debate. It’s not enough to craft a sound policy. If you want to build and maintain a strong culture, if you want to attract and retain talent, if you want to do what’s right for your people and your bottom line, then you need to create an environment that’s conducive to all these goals—and that’s more than just a “days in the office” policy.
Our Role
DuPage County and Choose DuPage are here to help.
When it comes to giving people a reason to come into the office, DuPage County excels. Between our forest preserves, our thriving downtowns, and our fantastic restaurants, businesses in DuPage are never far from amenities that people love. That gives employees a good reason to come into the office and makes it easier for employers to implement whatever workplace policy works for them.
You can see this approach come to life at local office campuses like CityGate Centre and Hamilton Lakes, which incorporate nature, dining and entertainment into the workday. Meanwhile, local employers like ARCO/Murray – to name a recent example from our 2025 Smartest Workplaces list – bring their employees together with on-site amenities like fitness centers, lounges, patios, and other community-minded spaces.
It can be done. Businesses are smart. They always find a way to succeed. And right now, there are so many examples right in front of us that we can use to assure our shared success.
In DuPage County, businesses and communities are giving people a strong reason to return to the office. And for me, that’s the most important thing. “How much time should we spend in the office?” is a valid question, but the more important question is: How do we do more with the time we have?