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According to a new survey by the Partnership for New York, 49% of Manhattan employees actually frequent the office on an average weekday—a pretty startling figure considering the two years of remote work that defined the post-COVID-19 era. Back in April, that statistic was closer to 38%.
Interestingly enough though, according to the study, which analyzed trends across 160 major Manhattan offices, only 9% of employees are in the workplace five days a week. It follows, then, that hybrid work is the current modus operandi across corporate New York circles.
Specifically, the hybrid work breakdown is as follows:
- 9% of Manhattan office workers are in the office full time (five days a week)
- 12% are in four days per week
- 37% are in three days per week
- 15% are in two days per week
- 11% are in one day per week
- 16% of Manhattan office workers are fully remote
The survey also projects that the return-to-workplace numbers will continue increasing.
"Employers remain committed to staying in New York City: 54% expect their office employee headcount will increase or stay the same over the next five years; only 10% expect a decline," reads the survey. "Moreover, most do not have plans to reduce their real estate footprint in the city at this time despite the increase in days of remote work."
What will decrease, however, is the amount of domestic and international business travel in relation to pre-pandemic levels.
The Partnership for New York went a step further, also asking employers the primary reasons why their employees are reluctant to return to in-person job duties. Among the most commonly cited objections was the fact that a lot of workers find themselves to be just-as if not more productive at home compared to how they are in a more traditional office setting. They also mentioned the unreliability of public transit, the average length of a commute and the desire for work-life balance as reasons why folks are opting for hybrid work measures.
We're clearly living in unprecedented times, still trying to figure out how to adjust our lifestyles following a two-year-long, pandemic-fueled hiatus from the way that things were. The corporate world might perennially shift to a hybrid concept or, perhaps, a full-time return to the office will be inevitable. Either way, we're sure New York employees will be at the forefront of conversations regarding the subject.