Vouchers, giveaways to bring office workers back to Brisbane CBD on Fridays

Brisbane CBD shops and landlords will offer discount vouchers, gift cards, foyer games and coffee deals in a bid to get workers to ditch Friday work from home habits.

Desperate city shops and landlords will offer discount vouchers, gift card giveaways, freebies and coffee deals and even putt-putt in their building foyers in a bid to get workers to ditch Friday work from home and breathe life back into Brisbane’s city centre.

CBD offices are sitting one-third empty, among the most vacant in the country despite Queensland avoiding the long crippling lockdowns of other states, with foot traffic dropping by as much as 40 per cent compared to pre-COVID.

The new campaign kicking off tomorrow aims to get workers to change their work from home day from Friday and get them into the CBD and spending money again.

Workers in towers with high profile tenants including BHP Billiton, Price WaterhouseCoopers, Suncorp, EY, ANZ Bank, Westpac, St George, Rio Tinto, AAMI, QIC, Telstra as well as public servants will be offered freebies and special deals to lure them into the office on the last day of the business week from tomorrow.

Emily Penfold enjoying a coffee at 175 Eagle St, one of the buildings joining the Fridays in the City push. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

CBD shoppers will also get special vouchers and discounts for spending on Friday under the scheme backed by retailers, landlords, the Property Council and Brisbane City Council, while office towers will have happy hours, coffee deals and even putt-putt in the office.

Property Council’s Queensland deputy executive director Jen Williams said Friday spending needed to be revived for the small businesses relying on it.

“Unfortunately, we have seen the number of workers heading back into the CBD stagnate over the past five months. To position Brisbane for the future and capitalise on the generations of investment that have gone before, we must break the habits of COVID and get our people back together.

“In other parts of the world where employees have been forced to work from home for longer, businesses are desperate to get back to the office, as they have seen their productivity stagnate.

“Brisbane and Australian businesses will risk losing their first mover advantage if they don’t get their teams back to together.

“We know that Friday is the best day of the working week. People are more relaxed, and workers are more likely to go shopping, knock off early for a drink, or meet up with friends for dinner at a restaurant after work,” Ms Williams said.

“According to the Property Council’s office occupancy data, people tend to opt to work from home on Mondays and Fridays, meaning the CBD is noticeably quieter than during the middle of the week.

“As a result, our city’s office occupancy rate has stagnated at circa 60 per cent, and our CBD retailers are suffering.”

Australian Retailers Association chief executive officer Paul Zahra said Brisbane was continuing to feel a hangover from the Covid lockdowns, and missing international students and travellers.

Lisa Bellifemine and Mara Mavromatis shopping at Wintergarden which will be offering vouchers and giveaways as part of the Fridays in the City push. Picture: Tara Croser.

“More people are working flexibly and are choosing to stay at home rather than go into the office, and that’s having a devastating impact on CBD retailers,” Mr Zahra said.

“More people back in the city means more money through the tills of local businesses

who’ve been to hell and back through Covid lockdowns and restrictions.

“Every dollar spent in retail is giving someone a job.”

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the six-week Fridays in the City campaign would remind residents of exactly what makes Brisbane’s CBD such an exciting place to shop, dine and work.

“We want to revitalise office occupancy which in turn will pump more momentum back in Brisbane’s CBD retail and hospitality businesses,” Cr Schrinner said.

“Over the next six weeks, I encourage workers to grab their mates and make the most of everything on offer – whether it’s a free morning coffee, lunchtime fitness class or knock off drink and dining experience.”

According to research by Cushman & Wakefield, a workplace with a two-day per week remote work policy means the chance of two employees seeing each other is roughly six times a month.

In a small team, a two-day per week remote work policy, team members could see each other less than three times a month or just 30 times a year.

While the CBD remains flat, Brisbane’s roads are getting busier, with Transurban Queensland group executive Sue Johnson saying roads like the Logan Motorway are experiencing record traffic thanks to upgrade works completed in 2019.

The State Government last month ordered thousands of Queensland’s public servants back to their offices, declaring the “new COVID-19 normal” meant there was no longer a need to work from home.

Minister Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey said he wanted to “work with industry and commuters to incentivise more use of public transport over coming weeks” but stopped short of free trips.