Chicago is poised for a rush of visitors from the Democratic National Convention, but many typical downtown office workers will likely be staying home.
Concerned about the ease of travel to and from downtown or the potential for protests or security to impede transportation routes, some businesses are planning to close their offices or make mandatory in-office days optional during the four-day convention.
“It’s kind of unfortunate because we’re all trying to get people back into the office,” said Michael Thanasouras, managing director of real estate firm SVN Chicago Commercial.
The DNC is a chance for Chicago officials to show off the city to the tens of thousands of politicians, delegates, protesters and media who are expected at the event. But for some employers, the national spotlight also brings the threat of disruptions and has them deeming it easier for employees to stay home, even as companies look to continue drawing people back to downtown offices after the pandemic changed work patterns.
Executives are considering the implications of Secret Service-protected dignitaries moving about downtown and potentially unplanned street closures. Then there are the known street closures that are part of security perimeters around the United Center and McCormick Place, the two primary convention sites. CTA buses will be rerouted around the perimeters. Metra will run regular schedules but service could be interrupted on the Electric Line, which runs near McCormick Place, for planned moves of Secret Service-protected people.
As companies make plans, farm machinery manufacturer Deere has advised employees in its Fulton Market office to work remotely “to avoid the traffic and congestion we anticipate during the convention,” the company confirmed. SVN plans to close its West Loop office. Health care marketing firm AbelsonTaylor, located in the Old Post Office building downtown, plans to keep its office open but is allowing employees the option to stay home on a day they are typically mandated to come in.
Accenture plans to close its West Loop office, just as it closed an office in Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention in July, Bloomberg has reported. The company did not respond to Tribune requests for comment.
And Metra, the rail agency that has historically served downtown commuters, said it is anticipating ridership could be lower during the convention as some regular riders work remotely.
Jack Lavin, president of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, said he wasn’t concerned about downtown emptying of typical employees. Though some companies are closing their offices others are staying open, he said. Federal and local security agencies, who have long worked on DNC plans, have given downtown businesses a good idea of what to expect, and alerts and apps will help notify people downtown of any disruptions from VIP travel or protests, he said.
Chicago is no stranger to large events, he said, citing traffic from the recent Lollapalooza music festival.
“We are encouraging companies to stay open, operate as normal,” he said. “We want people to continue to come downtown, to work, to visit during the convention. The more people are downtown, the more businesses will flourish.”
But for Thanasouras, of SVN, the uncertainty of transportation convinced the company to close the office during the convention. Executives weighed the prospects of a presidential motorcade blocking streets just as employees want to head home for the evening, of an employee who needed to leave for an emergency but was trapped by closed roads, and longer-than-usual commute times, he said. He’d rather people spend the time working than being stressed out by traffic.
The brokerage has about 52 employees and independent contractors based in Chicago, about half of whom are in the office on a typical day, Thanasouras estimated.
The DNC is one more hiccup for efforts to boost downtown momentum, after the pandemic roiled traditional office work patterns, Thanasouras said. That momentum has had ups and downs, he said, and other issues such as ongoing construction on the Kennedy have also been barriers. But the convention seems to be yet one more reason for people to turn to remote work.
“I feel like it’s definitely just kind of another bump in the road,” he said.
At AbelsonTaylor, in the Old Post Office, employees are typically required to come in on Wednesdays, when they get free lunch. But during the convention the office day will be optional, President Jeff Berg said. And office lunch caterer Fooda told the company they won’t be able to deliver meals that day.
Berg will likely make his typical commute by Metra into the office during the convention. But he worried that bus reroutes and transportation issues might make it difficult for other employees to get to the office, and protests have the potential to turn downtown chaotic.
About 150 people usually come into the office on Wednesdays, he said. During the convention, he estimated about five would be there.
“People need to work, and they don’t need to worry about things like that,” he said.
The number of companies telling employees to work from home isn’t readily available, and the Building Owners and Managers Association, which represents the office building industry, isn’t tracking it.
The organization is encouraging companies to keep employees working downtown, but every company has to do what they think is best, said Amy Masters, director of government and external affairs.
BOMA buildings will remain open and staffed by security experts, and convention planners and city coordinators have created multiple ways for downtown commuters to learn about street closures and traffic issues, she said.
Still, Masters said, there will be traffic from the convention, so employees heading downtown should give themselves extra time.
“Chicago is well versed in hosting events like this one that draw tens of thousands of visitors,” she said.
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