The rise of the Delta variant of COVID increased uncertainty and delayed the return to the office in many cases. A report from Cushman & Wakefield indicates that many companies had planned a broad return to in-person work this summer and fall (in the Northern Hemisphere) before the emergence of the Delta variant, but the increase in cases caused in many places a temporary, but significant, postponement of those plans in hopes of a drop in the number of cases and a move towards herd immunity with adequate levels of vaccination, which are increasing.

With the Delta variant expected to peak this October, the report sees this as an important time to take stock of global and regional trends related to returning to the office. Trends including:

• The current state of office use.
• The trajectory of the virus and vaccination efforts.
• Forecast scenarios for when companies can return to the office.

Main conclusions of the report

As of September 2021, approximately 40% of all global office workers have returned to their workplaces.

The latest COVID-19 projections indicate that global infections related to the Delta variant will peak in October or November 2021, and then trend downward.

At the current rate, most of the world will achieve herd immunity, meaning that by the second quarter of 2022 more than 70% will be vaccinated or infected.

Given the impact on working parents, full-time, in-person school is a critical factor in predicting a more complete return to the office.

Government guidelines will also play a key role in boosting worker confidence and encouraging return.

If the assumptions are true, the report concludes that globally most workers will be able to return to the office in the first quarter of next year.