We know it’s hard, but think back to the height of the pandemic a few years ago. If you were lucky enough to work from home, you might even be someone who worked at Harley-Davidson.
The Motor Company made that choice in March 2020, when it sent its employees home from its Juneau Avenue headquarters in Milwaukee and told them they could work there. And in an interview with Bloomberg in October 2022, CEO Jochen Zeitz mused that it was probably better for work-life balance to allow these employees to work and also spend time with their families.
Even after things started to open up again and many employees returned to the office, Harley maintained this policy. Working from home is great for employees, but it also meant that a lot of space at Harley’s headquarters was going virtually unused. Some parking lots are now being transformed into a giant park/event space to be used by both Harley and the local community, but what about the offices?
On April 25, 2024, LiveWire released its financial results for the first quarter of 2024 and, in them, CEO Karim Donnez said: “We are pleased with the successful launch of the S2 Mulholland and, with three bikes on the market, we are proud that LiveWire is now the #1 on-road electric motorcycle retailer in the US. As part of our plans to expand our market leadership, our teams are working on design, engineering and supply initiatives to reduce the cost of our vehicles and manage spending across the company to get the most out of our strategic investments. We expect the consolidation of our Milwaukee operations at Harley-Davidson’s historic headquarters on Juneau Avenue to bring synergies and efficiencies, as well as a closer connection to our heritage.”