3M is calling office workers back four days a week
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3M's parking lot will soon have a lot more cars. Photo: AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
3M is telling its corporate workforce to return to the office four days a week starting Sept. 1, CEO Bill Brown wrote in a letter to employees today.
Why it matters: 3M was one of the last holdouts of major Twin Cities corporations calling their workers back and the move by the Maplewood-based company underscores a major shift happening this summer.
What they're saying: "I believe our ability to engage, collaborate and innovate is stronger in person," Brown wrote to employees.
- He referenced the company's progress with its "Collaboration Days" policy that started in 2024 and brought managers back three days a week.
- Brown wrote in his email that some employees will return right away in September, while others will need to wait for office renovations, which could take until late 2026. The policy does not apply to existing remote employees who are working distantly.
State of play: Some surveys have shown that many employees say they will find a new job if they can't work from home, but the options for remote work are dwindling among Minnesota's largest employers.
- Employees at Minnesota' largest corporation, UnitedHealth Group, were called back four days a week starting on Monday. Medtronic workers will need to be in office four days a week starting Sept. 2, up from three days a week.
- This summer, Target began requiring multiple divisions to come back to its Minneapolis headquarters.
- The state of Minnesota's June 1 mandate requires 50% in-office work.
- Golden Valley-based General Mills called the bulk of its employees back Tuesday through Thursday in February.
By the numbers: More in-person work is starting to show up in office space leasing metrics.
- Quarterly absorption in the Twin Cities — which measures how much space is leased against how much is vacated or constructed — was positive for the first time since 2020, according to a new report by commercial real estate firm JLL.
- JLL says a hefty amount of demand for space will keep leasing strong for the foreseeable future.
The bottom line: While the days of employees working mostly from home are over for big corporations, policies mandating three or four days in the office per week are still more flexible than pre-pandemic setups.