In 2020 we experienced an unprecedented spike in the amount of remote work occurring in our country. I am sure without much prompting you can recall what caused this spike in remote work. Since then, most large corporations and federal employees returned to the office but with a new rhythm. Most employers adopted a hybrid model, where employees are required to come into the office three days a week. However, in the last six months, many companies—including Amazon—have shifted back to a full 5-day in-office workweek. And in January 2025, President Trump announced that federal employees would return to the office as well. 

 

This shift is already impacting parking in major cities like Seattle and Washington D.C., where an influx of parkers is expected. 

 

One thing Clyde Wilson, the owner and founder of TPN says often is “the parkers are coming, whether we are ready or not”. Clyde got his start in operations so even though TPN’s role is not that of the operator, it is something that our team knows and understands. The management of the garage is integral to the function of the garage and as Clyde’s statement alludes to one of the most important things an operator can do is be prepared.  

​

Preparedness can mean many different things depending on your operation. Aspects that should be considered range from the flow and cleanliness of the garage to the amount of paper in the ticket spitter. When a garage manager is prepared, they take an active role in being sure the garage is ready for what each day may entail. They are aware of what will be happening in their area that day, they make sure the garage is maintained in a way that is welcoming and makes it feel safe, and that everything is in place for the garage to function efficiently. 

​

The importance of being prepared is especially true when we are talking about the number of people that will be flooding the downtown areas as employees return to work. For many parking garages, it may have been a few years since they have seen this amount of traffic. However, there is no denying that the federal and corporate employees are on their way. The question is, are you ready for them?