As Covid Infections Rise the Few NYC Employees Who Returned to the Office Make Another Retreat

Whatever progress employees in New York City made in returning to the office has been at least partially reversed in the last week, according to a barometer studying this trend by Kastle Systems. 

Indeed, the 10-city national average of the barometer fell from 27.1% to 25.1% last week—its lowest point since early September.

The steepest declines came from Washington, DC and Chicago, where building occupancy rates fell 4.2% to 20.2% and 16.2%, respectively. New York also experienced a steep drop, down from 16.9% to 13.1%, resuming its former position as the least open city on the Barometer, according to Kastle. 

The timing should not be a surprise. In recent weeks, Covid infections around the country have been surging and public health officials are warning of a difficult winter ahead. On Thursday, the US reported more than 153,000 new cases—the seventh time in nine days that reported U.S. infections reached new heights. Various states and cities around the US are starting to put more restrictions in place, including New York. 

In general, employees in New York City have been reluctant to return to their offices, more so than in other cities. Just 8% of Manhattan’s 1 million office workers had returned to their buildings in mid-August, according a survey of employers conducted by the Partnership for New York City—a nonprofit organization dedicated to bolstering local commerce and innovation. Those major employers had projected in late May that 10% of their workforce would be back in the office by mid-August.