It appears most downtown employees are still working in a hybrid model with only one or two days a week at the office, but some business leaders are anxious for that to change.

Work flexibility is one consequence of the pandemic that many workers are keen to hold on to.

A new survey suggests that while more than 80 per cent of downtown workers have returned to the office at least one day a week, the vast majority of businesses have no plans to bring workers back full-time, even if it means less productivity.

"They say individually we know we will gain if people are more present, but the labour shortage forces us to be cautious," said Michel Leblanc, president and CEO of the Montreal Chamber of Commerce.

Leblanc said most employers would like to have workers back in the office three or four days a week at minumum, but are nervous about acting too fast and losing employees.

"I don't want to be the one standing alone and saying, 'Ok, I'm forcing you to come back,' and the others will say, 'No, no, no, I'm not forcing you,' even though maybe in two years they'll force them to be back," he said.

"So, at this moment they're all looking at each other and they're looking at the chamber and they're saying help bring that movement."

He said one way is to make downtown more attractive to workers with initiatives like public art and outdoor workspaces.

Road closures and construction make it less attractive to commute to the office, he added.

But in a new campaign, the chamber of commerce is encouraging workers to take advantage of the opportunities that being downtown offered.

"When you have people merging together in an area it means we are exchanging ideas, we're meeting new people," he said.

"As we do so maybe we are finding new solutions, so all these possibilities are very unlikely to happen in your home office on zoom with people you talk with every day."

One head hunter said that may still be a tough sell for people that have gotten used to working from home.

"Having a good culture and a good work environment is obviously important to a certain extent, but these people have families and the last couple of years they've been able to spend a lot of time with their families, and I think that it's hard to get away from that, said Michaela Landers, recruiting director at Proforce Personnel.

What's for certain is a return to pre-pandemic normal doesn't seem likely anytime soon.