Watercoolers become return-to-office yardstick as remote-work debate rages

A generic watercooler. Using an office watercooler as a return-to-office (RTO) benchmark carries some heavy symbolism, given that the gathering points are an oft-cited metaphor in the debate over the value of in-person work. — Image by DCStudio on Freepik

To get an idea of how many people are back in the office, just check the watercoolers.

The amount of water dispensed in machines sold by Bevi – a Boston-based startup that provides Internet-connected coolers to more than 5,000 businesses across the US – mirrors the office occupancy rates tracked by security firm Kastle Systems throughout the pandemic.