SEATTLE — Weyerhaeuser is bringing employees back to the office.
Starting this week, the Fortune 500 company announced that it has started a hybrid return-to-work schedule, meaning the 500 or so employees are returning to the Pioneer Square location on Occidental Park.
It had long resisted in-person work because of the pandemic, but later cited a delay in returning because of crime and public safety concerns in Pioneer Square.
In a statement to KING 5, the company cited both issues as reasons the company delayed bringing employees back to work in person. Employees will continue to have the option to work from home for as many as three days out of the week, the company said.
"We also fully understand that many of our employees have ongoing concerns about COVID and the overall safety of the environment in our Pioneer Square neighborhood," a spokesperson said. "As always, we base our approach to COVID on CDC and OSHA guidance, as well as relevant local laws, and we will continue to monitor the situation and adjust our return to office plans if it becomes necessary."
The company said it is also working with the city, and taking "a number of measures" to help ensure employees can commute and travel through the neighborhood safely.
“We're excited to have them back in the neighborhood,” said Chris Woodward of the Alliance for Pioneer Square, in between bag tosses on the cornhole court. “What we're seeing is a mayor administration, city council, and King County stepping up to implement policies and programs to address public safety, we're seeing on the street level.”
Data from the Downtown Seattle Association suggests foot traffic is up 18% in a month and doubled from a year ago. Seattle Police data show just a handful of calls in the Pioneer Square area in the past week, and crime is down from 2019 highs.
With Mariners, Sounders, and Reign season in full swing, Woodward says restaurants are also reopening with a new Citizen M Hotel opening soon.