A company’s ability to spread out may become key to its desire to return to its offices, the state’s biggest property managers say.

With Gov. Chris Sununu’s stay-at-home order now lifted, many businesses in the Granite State are returning to the office, a move that landlords have been preparing for in order to make businesses and employees feel safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

While the order technically allows all businesses to return to the office, commercial real estate brokers and property managers say many businesses will likely return only gradually. 

James Horne, president of Exeter-based CP Management, said smaller businesses are coming back into the office for the most part, while most of his larger corporate tenants plan to put off the return until the fall, or possibly even 2021. 

Chris Norwood, president of NAI Norwood Group, estimates that about 50 percent of the non-essential work group is planning to return to the office more immediately. 

“There will be a wave of folks that come back quite quickly. There’s probably another 50 percent that will be trickling in and may not go back [to the office] until school reopens,” said Norwood, who leads one of the largest commercial real estate brokerage firms in New Hampshire. “For those families who don’t have the ability to have any form of daycare, camp or school, it’s going to be difficult. Those are the parents that are going to continue to take advantage of the opportunity to work from home, and that’s why I see the start of the school year being the triggering effect.” 

More Cleaning, Social Distancing 

Since the first case hit New Hampshire in early March, the coronavirus has infected roughly 5,300 people in New Hampshire and killed 318 people, according to the state.  

Although cases have come down as a result of the state’s stay-at-home order implemented in March, and lots of people that contracted the virus have since recovered, there is still no vaccine, meaning there will still be risk when people go into the office. 

Norwood said density will play a big role in determining whether businesses return. 

For instance, in a traditional law firm office where everyone has their own individual office and 300 square feet of space per person, more people may feel comfortable returning because there is enough space to continue to practice social distancing measures. 

However, if a company works in an office with cubicles and only 180 to 200 square feet of space per person, that company may be slower to return because it’s harder to practice social distancing. 

Regardless, landlords and building managers are taking added precautions to try and make tenants feel like they can safely come into the office and not contract the virus. 

Norwood said some companies are staggering employee schedules to keep capacity down. He also said landlords are adding extra cleaning in some common areas, especially in buildings shared bathroom facilities where there is heightened concern about the spreading of the virus due to increased foot traffic.  

How to Convince Tenants? 

Horne said his buildings have enhanced cleaning throughout the day, extra signage promoting the use of masks, extra hand sanitizer machines throughout the building, contactless appliances and crews that use disinfecting misting devices. His buildings are also getting higher-capacity HVAC filters, among other measures. 

“We want people back in their buildings,” he said, adding that his company is asking tenants for input on how they can make them feel safer. “We do not want long-term vacancies. Obviously in our industry, we do not want the trends of work from home to continue.” 

Horne acknowledged that some of these extra offerings would have to be paid for by the tenant, and that not that many of his tenants had so far requested the extra services. 

Still, despite a more gradual return to the office by some tenants and increasing speculation in some quarters that working from home may become more of the norm, both Horne and Norwood agree that the physical office is here to stay. 

Norwood does not deny there won’t be some continuance of working from home, but says there is still a need for culture, especially for New Hampshire companies, which tend to be smaller.  

While larger employers might reduce employees on premise and their physical space, for smaller companies that only occupy 5,000 square feet or less, it’s difficult to shrink that footprint because most companies still need a kitchen, a bathroom, a reception area and a conference room, he said. 

“Based on my experience and conversations, working from home is going to get old,” said Horne. “I do think people want to collaborate together in the same place on some level, and I don’t think that will ever go away.”