PROVIDENCE – A new survey of Providence-based businesses indicates many have been influenced to think differently about their offices and how employees work, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey by The Providence Foundation asked recipients to share opinions on office use, on how the pandemic had impacted their business operations, on whether they will require employees to get vaccinated and their opinions about business travel.
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Responses were collected from April 7 to April 23 from 37 businesses, most of them located in downtown Providence.
Among the findings:
– Companies reported large numbers of employees continue to work remotely, at a median of 75% of business workforces.
– 38% of the businesses responding had had a significant decrease in revenue in the past year and 22% laid off employees.
– 19% hired more employees.
– Respondents plan to return to their offices but change how employees work. Most companies expect at least 78% of their workforce to return to offices by Sept. 30. About 62% of companies said they would adopt a ‘hybrid’ work schedule, with employees working a mix of days at home and in the office.
– Some businesses are considering changing office locations or layouts, but 41% say they are not considering any changes. Of those open to change, 27% reported they would need less office space while 27% said they expect to reconfigure their offices.
– On vaccinations, 68% of respondents said they would actively encourage employees to get vaccinated, while 24% said they would require returning employees to do so, with applicable exceptions.
– 27% expect their company’s business travel will resume in the second half of 2021. Another 24% say it will resume in 2022. About 19% said business travel has already resumed or didn’t stop at all.
The industries represented in the survey included nonprofits, real estate, consultants, art and design, construction, finance or insurance, education, media, law and government.
Cliff Wood, executive director of the nonprofit Providence Foundation, said the inspiration for the survey was trying to get some data on the recovery phase, as vaccinations continue to gain momentum.
The vibrancy of the downtown area is a concern to all members of the foundation.
“We wanted to get a sense of where people are heading,” he said.
One of the more surprising responses, he found, was the divergence of business impacts. While 22% of the businesses that responded said they had laid off employees, another 19% had hired additional positions.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
