The skyways in downtown Minneapolis could be buzzing again with office workers by the fall.
Wells Fargo, the third-largest employer downtown with about 7,000 employees, will begin returning to the office after Labor Day. Executives told employees this week that they have been encouraged by the increase in vaccine availability and are planning for a “return to a more normal operating model” starting Sept. 6.
The announcement comes a month after the largest employer downtown, Target Corp., with 8,500 employees, pushed back its return to the office to the fall.
But even when it brings them back, Target has said workers will be able to split their time between the office and working from home so the company won’t need as much real estate. It will exit the City Center, reducing its downtown office space by a third.
However, some companies are planning to start heading back to offices this summer. Thrivent, for example, has said it will have a phased approach to its return starting after July 1, though some employees are expected to continue working remotely at least part of the time.
Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp, which has about 5,000 employees downtown, has not yet committed to a firm timeline. But executives have said they don’t expect any significant return before the summer and will give employees at least 30 days notice.
In a memo to employees, Wells Fargo executives said they hoped that by giving notice now, employees have time to plan for summer and start of the next school year.
They’re still working to figure out the details such as what a “more normal model” will look like. But they said they will not take a one-size-fits-all approach. At the same time, they said they believe employees benefit by being around one another.
“Being physically together can be more inclusive and drive broader participation,” they wrote. “Being pulled into meetings, learning from seeing how others work, and the often unplanned, casual interactions that occur when people see each other in the workplace can be really important.”
They added that they also realize that flexibility is important and has made some of them more productive.
“We also understand that the boundary between personal time and work time has been blurred — often to the detriment of our personal well-being,” they wrote. “This is not a Wells Fargo-specific issue, but one we want to ensure does not continue.”
San Francisco-based Wells Fargo has a large presence in Minnesota, where it employs about 18,000 statewide. Across the entire company, about 200,000 of its employees have been working remotely during the pandemic, while about 60,000 employees have been working on company property, chiefly in branches.
The company added that employees who are currently working from home should continue to do so even if they have been fully vaccinated.
Executives added they may adjust the timeline based on COVID-19 case and vaccination rates.
Kavita Kumar • 612-673-4113
Twitter: @kavitakumar