Return-to-Office Follows New Seasonal Patterns

Return-to-office has made progress recently—including December, traditionally the weakest month—but the recent trends also hint that office visitation patterns will never again be like they were before the pandemic in terms of when workers come to the office. 

Namely, office visits will be concentrated more in the warm months, and in the middle of the workweek. With that in mind, according to a report by Placer.ai, office landlords can adjust their leasing and management strategies to adapt in 2026 and beyond.

In 2025, the RTO progress was real: nationally, office visits rose 5.6 percent year-over-year, with attendance at 31.7 percent of pre-pandemic (2019) levels, and at the highest point since then, Placer.ai outlined in its latest office attendance report. Yet office visits rose 9.1 percent in 2024 compared with the previous year...

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RSK: As expected, the middle of the week is more apt to have workers RTO. Seasonally it is the 2nd and 3rd quarters that have the highest return to office. Mainly because commutes are more pleasant and an easier time.