According to a recent survey, as of this fall just 13% of Minnesota small business owners say that they have returned to their normal workplace operations and an additional 4% say that they plan to return to normal in the next three months. However, up to 45% of Minnesota business leaders are less ready to return to the office and believe that they won’t be back to normal for at least six months. And although they are in the minority of their peers, 10% of business owners have accepted that they will never return to their previous workplace operations.

So, where does this leave the millions of Minnesota employees left to navigate this transition alongside their coworkers and employers? 

Regardless of the return to office plan (or lack thereof) of the companies they work for, individual workers must determine the best path forward for themselves. For many, this will require weighing their employer's return strategy with their own comfort. For example, if your organization is reverting to 100% in-person work by the end of the year but you have been increasingly productive and happier working from your home office, it’s up to you to decide if you’d prefer to continue working in your current position while sacrificing your personal preference or if you are going to begin pursuing the job market for more flexible opportunities.

With one in every two full-time workers in the U.S. saying that they won’t return to a job that doesn’t offer any remote work options, it’s clear that the desire for hybrid work is on the rise across the country. A hub of innovation and employee-centered organizations, here are the top hybrid workplaces in Minnesota.

Top Companies in Minnesota

Minnesota has been a hotbed of innovation for decades and despite the toll that the pandemic and national events have had on businesses over the past two years, Minnesotan business owners continue to prosper. In the 14 months after April 2020, over 70,000 new businesses were created by entrepreneurs in Minnesota alone. Add those to the 53,000+ new businesses that opened in 2019 and there is clear evidence of a Midwestern economic boom .

In addition to being the launchpad for leagues of emerging organizations, the state is also known for being home to established businesses and enterprise companies. Let’s take a look at some of the top organizations currently operating out of the Twin Cities and Minnesota.

Best Places to Work in Minnesota

What makes a company a good place to work? In 2021, it comes down to how well business leaders prioritized the needs of their workforce during the pandemic. It is through this lens that Forbes composed their annual list of America’s Best Employers Per State. This year, according to the results of employee surveys, the best places to work in Minnesota are:

• Mayo Clinic
• Costco Wholesale
• Medtronic
• Starbucks
• 3M
  
  

Top Fortune 500 Companies in Minnesota

Although no new Minnesota-based company has been added to the list in a few years, the state still boasts over 15 businesses on the Fortune 500 list. The top Fortune 500 companies in Minnesota are:

• UnitedHealth Group
• Target
• Best Buy
• 3M
• CHS 
  
  

Largest Employers in Minnesota

The meteoric rise of small businesses in the state is not indicative of Minnesota’s overall history as a homebase for organizations. In fact, a surplus of enterprises and large companies either got their start in Minnesota or have flocked there in the past few decades to plant their roots. The largest employers in Minnesota are:

• 3M— 12,000 employees
• Ameriprise Financial Inc— 5,065 employees
• Anderson Corp— 5,000 employees
• Best Buy— 5,000 employees
• Target— 5,000 employees
  
  

Tech Companies in Minneapolis

Over the past couple of decades, Minneapolis, MN has made a name for itself as the Silicon Valley of the Midwest by hosting dozens of flourishing startups and offering plenty of coworking spaces to choose from. Some of the top tech companies to make a name for themselves in Minneapolis are:

• Datica
• HomeSpotter
• Zipnosis
• MentorMate
• Ceridian
  
  

The Rise of Hybrid Work in Minnesota

For many modern employees, the pandemic and its subsequent shelter-in-place orders brought about the first time they dabbled in remote or hybrid work. But in Minnesota, by the time March 2020 rolled around, hybrid work had already been a way of life. In 2019 there were 40 different active shared office space organizations in the Twin Cities alone, many offering users multiple locations.

Co-working spaces like these emerged as a natural solution to a workforce intent on adopting a more flexible work-lifestyle. Such a lifestyle has been viewed as a generational shift away from a strict 9 to 5 and completely on-site schedule. Instead, coworking spaces are a natural fit for the more flexible nature of the startup culture that is so prevalent in Minnesota.

Now, as shared workspaces begin to reopen and organizations are planning their return to office strategy, many business leaders are following their employee’s lead. According to Julie Cosgrove, the chief talent officer of Affinity Plus in Minneapolis, it’s in the best interest of individual companies to survey their employees on their return to office preferences. “We’re looking at an individualized custom approach,” says Julie.

As recently as May 2021, 80% of downtown Minneapolis companies have said they are developing “future of work” plans for themselves, with the majority referencing their intentions to adopt a more hybrid or flexible work plan. This intention leans more flexible than the rest of the nation, with only 45% of overall U.S. companies saying that they plan to lead with a hybrid workforce model.

With such an overwhelming majority throwing their hats in for hybrid models, it’s clear that the future of work in Minnesota is flexible.

4 Hybrid Workplaces in Minnesota

Each month, more and more organizations reveal their unique approach to the return to work. With so many industry giants calling Minnesota home, the decision for them to or to not embrace hybrid work carries significant weight in the state. Here are 5 workplaces in Minnesota who have already announced their plans to take a hybrid path forward.

To see how your organization’s return to office plans compare to those overseas, check out these Global Return to Office Strategies.

1. 3M

Source: StarTribune

With a total workforce of over 90,000 all Minnesotian eyes were on 3M when they revealed their return to office approach. Deemed a “one-of-a-kind plan to permanently give employees more work-life balance” 3M’s Work Your Way model allows every employee to come up with the workflow that is the best fit for their lifestyle.

According to Jeanne Hoppe, operations specialist at 3M, the adoption of this absolutist approach to workplace flexibility is much appreciated. “I’m able to go to school activities, I’m able to go to my family’s sporting events. I’m able to take my own dog for a walk,” says Hoppe.

Additionally, being offered a work schedule that is a better fit for her life has allowed Jeanne to feel more supported by 3M. “The word that comes to mind is respected,” she said. “I really feel like not only is my work product respected, but also the ability to have a successful and fulfilling life is respected.”

2. Target

Source: Target

Target made headlines earlier this year when they announced that they were closing their City Center building in downtown Minneapolis and instead finding alternative accommodations for the 3,500 employees who (in a pre-pandemic world) worked from that office space full-time.

This decision made the global organization one of the first to declare their intentions to embrace hybrid work. According to company officials, the decision was made both in order to offer their workforce more flexible schedule options as well as to save real estate costs. Target’s long-term plan is to instill a “hybrid model of remote and on-site work, allowing for flexibility and collaboration and ultimately, requiring less space.”

3. U.S. Bank

Source: Mortenson

While many organizations are unveiling their permanent long-term return to office strategies, others are intent on only continuing hybrid workflows until it is safe to return to the office in a larger capacity. Roughly 70% of the 70,000 U.S. Bank workers have been working remotely since March 2020, but they would be back in the office by now if it were up to business leaders.

Previously planning to return in-office in September 2021, the organization has postponed their return in response to health and safety concerns. "There are increased caseloads across the globe, and the Delta variant has caused us to adjust our plans," says Andy Cecere, CEO of U.S. Bank. “After weighing our options, we believe the right course of action is to postpone our broader return to office until sometime in the fourth quarter.” When the day inevitably comes for the U.S. Bank employees to return to the office, they will be given a 30 days notice.

4. Mayo Clinic

Source: Unsplash

Mayo Clinic was quick to adopt a long-term hybrid strategy, announcing all the way back in October 2020 that they were allowing roughly 1,500 previously fully on-site workers to work from home in the long term.

According to Ginger Plumbo, a spokesperson for Mayo Clinic, "The vast majority of Mayo Clinic staff who are not required to be on Mayo's campuses to support patient care, student services or research will work remotely well into 2021." Additionally, Mayo Clinic has revealed a plan to implement a hybrid model for non-clinical administrative staff.

One decision that workplaces need to make when crafting their return to office strategies is whether or not they will require their employees to be vaccinated in order to return. In addition to allowing for more flexible work options, Mayo Clinic is also requiring all staff members, regardless of work location, to be fully vaccinated in order to return.

"We really need to take advantage of this time right now. When we have the vaccines, they are freely available, for everyone to get vaccinated, so we can stop the spread of the Delta variant but also we can prevent the development of new variants," said Mayo Clinic Dr. Melanie Swift.

Considering requiring employees to be vaccinated as part of your return strategy? Here’s more information on Vaccine Passports + the Return to Office.

Hybrid work has been on the rise in Minnesota for decades and it’s not too late to join the party. If your workplace is transitioning to a hybrid work model, explore Owl Labs’ Tools for Navigating the Return to Office— we’ve put together the resources and strategies organizations need to adapt workplaces to support hybrid and flexible work.