Editor’s note: This is the first installment of the “Why It Matters” column, which will appear in the Business Record once a month. Byers will provide commentary on topics affecting the region’s business community and give readers a behind-the-scenes look at why it matters to Greater Des Moines.

Three years ago, as so many workplaces switched on a dime to a work-from-home model, it may have felt to many as though most knowledge workers would never return to the office. At the Greater Des Moines Partnership, we discovered we were fully capable of carrying out the operations of our organization while almost everyone was working from home. Countless news headlines wondered about, or even predicted, the demise of the modern office.

As the world began to reopen safely in the spring and summer of 2021, our full team returned to the office. Team members – even those who enjoyed working from home – discovered how much they missed the in-person interactions and opportunities for “creative collisions” of ideas. 

One of the questions we heard often during that time, and still continue to hear today, is “When are workers in Greater Des Moines going to return to the office?” To help answer this question and many others about the changing landscape of workplaces, we worked with Bâton Global and Reworc in the first quarter of 2022 to produce the DSM Workforce Trends and Occupancy Study, the first-ever community-level study of its kind. The study helped us, and organizations throughout the DSM region, gain insights into what employees were looking for in the workplace. 

As the landscape has continued to evolve, we recently conducted part two of this study in the first quarter of 2023. We are still working through analysis of the full results, but here are a few early insights.

One: To adapt the famous quote often attributed to Mark Twain, the death of the office has been greatly exaggerated. Our survey shows that workers recognize the importance of time in the office and see value in being around others. We asked people what they missed most when not in the office, and the top answer was social interactions, followed by getting help from colleagues. It is also notable that Generation Z is the generation that values being in the office the most as compared to other generations. 

We are seeing this return-to-office trend play out in the latest foot traffic numbers for downtown Des Moines, which show foot traffic is at 83% of pre-pandemic levels overall, and at 65% of pre-pandemic levels during traditional working hours. This is significantly higher than the national Kastle Back to Work Barometer of 48%, although we expect the nationwide return-to-work trend to follow what we are seeing here. A recent Wall Street Journal article reported that there were about 21 million more workers on-site full time in 2022 than in 2021, and many business leaders are pushing for a continued return to office strategy.

Two: People value flexibility even when working in the office. Work-life blend matters, and flexibility is an increasingly important part of that. Our survey shows that most knowledge workforce employees in DSM feel their organizations are getting it right when it comes to flexibility. 

Three: Employees value a culture of learning. Learning and development have risen to be a top priority. This includes professional development, but it’s more than that. Survey respondents identified process learning, such as taking on challenging tasks and assignments, as the most effective learning method, followed by informal learning such as peer coaching or mentoring. This may require an adjustment in thinking from leaders. Learning through doing requires support structures and thought around how effectiveness is measured, as well as how to recognize skilled employees that devote time to teaching others.