Around 50% of Manhattan Workers Have Returned to the Office
Even more are projected to come back in January.
Manhattan offices are officially showing signs of repopulation. Almost half of workers are now back to their office in Manhattan, according to a recent survey.
The Partnership for New York City just released new data in relation to office buildings statistics. The survey, which analyzed trends for this year among 160 companies with Manhattan offices, showed that 49% of workers were frequenting office space again during the working week.
This doesn't exclude the possibility of remote working, though. Among the surveyed workers, 77% are still complying to a hybrid work model, where they both attend the office in person and work remotely as well. Only 9% of workers returning to the office goes back to the office full time, while 37% are in three days per week. Additionally, 15% go to the office two days per week, and 11% limit their office visits to once a week.
The survey's predictions expect an even higher return rate in the new year. In January, 54% of workers are forecast to make a comeback to their office, with 42% of them visiting the space three days a week.
Experts believe that workers are starting to flock back to the office for a number of reasons, including building intrapersonal relationships and networking.
"Particularly young employees are beginning to understand that working remotely could have a permanent impact on their careers," Kathryn Wylde, the group's president and CEO, told Gothamist. "They're not building relationships, and relationships are what it's about in terms of getting ahead in business."
On the other hand, some companies are reluctant to abandon their work-from-home model, as they think it could impact their productivity. The survey questioned employers about the reasons why employees are negative about their return to the office. According to the findings, 36% of companies said that the primary reason is that, according to employees, productivity from home is equal or better than the office. Other employees cited the lack of safety and unreliability of public transportation (24%), while only 6% of companies said that it has to do with more flexibility and work-life balance.
For more information and to take a look at the complete survey, you can visit the Partnership for New York website.