Despite some companies adding workers, challenges in downtown Minneapolis remain due to more people working from home.

Comments this week about getting people back downtown from Mayor Jacob Frey involving the word “losers” are getting a lot of attention on social media.

At a Wednesday Downtown Council luncheon, Frey’s comments about those who work from home drew backlash.

“I don’t know if you saw this study the other day, but what this study clearly shows is that when people who have the ability to come downtown to an office, but when they stay home, sitting on their couch with their nasty cat blanket diddling on their laptop — if they do that for a few months, you become a loser,” he said at the luncheon.

People took to social media to call out the mayor’s comments.

On Thursday afternoon, Frey called it a joke.

“I was joking about a nonexistent study referencing nonexistent people,” he said. “People in the room took it as a joke when it gets taken out of context and on a social media post things can run wild.”

He explained that was not his intention.

“Look, my goal as mayor, a responsibility that I have is to bring people back downtown,” Frey said.

The Downtown Council said employees coming back to work is not the whole solution, but it’s part of it.

“They’re really important. They’re a huge part of the fabric of downtown today. We’re trying to get more of them to come back to the office all the time,” Adam Duininck, Minneapolis Downtown Council president, said.

Council data shows that 65% of workers are in the office in some capacity each week.

“We’re always going to have challenges downtown. I think the fact is about how we meet those challenges,” he said.

Duininck said they plan to shift part of their focus to living spaces by turning commercial properties into residential buildings that appeal to the older population and families.

“We can have more people living here. We always want people doing their entertainment nightlife here and we have the commercial space for more job growth here too,” he said. “The geographic footprint of downtown is big enough.”

These forward-looking ideas are all a part of the 2035 strategic plan for the city. The Downtown Council plans to release more details this spring.