Reports earlier this week that “hybrid working” could become “the norm” following lockdowns have been confirmed in Manhattan, where only 10% of office workers have returned to the workplace. The Financial Times has the story.
Just 10% of Manhattan’s one million office workers had returned to the workplace by early March, according to a study indicating that most of them will still be working remotely by September.
The survey of large employers by the Partnership for New York City, a business advocacy group, suggests that Manhattan offices are still as empty as they were last October.
Expectations for returning to the office have slipped since then, however: while employers polled last October expected to bring back 48% of their office staff by July, they now anticipate having just 45% back at their desks by September.
Over the longer term, employers expect 56% of their office staff to continue working remotely at least part of the time.
On Wednesday, workspace provider IWG (formerly Regus) said “[hybrid working] works for companies, because it’s a lot cheaper”. But is the amount of money saved from making staff work at home greater than the reported cost of reduced productivity that this causes?
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I’m always a bit leery of these sorts of claims that working from home (WFH) reduces productivity. They’re usually made by companies with a vested interest in office property, and draw on studies funded by the same companies. From what I have observed WFH works quite well for many office-based professionals. Especially those with good family structures, and friendships and communities where they live. Where it breaks down is if all your social outlets are in your office. Offices and work environments harness and exploit human sociability to drive forward productivity. They replicate and synthesise a real community and family structure. Which is why people get so burnt out in them. High pressure work environments are stressful and oppressive triggering a constant state of fight or flight, harnessing yet another human evolutionary feature in order to increase productivity. That’s not healthy, nor does it replicate a healthy human community. Where that ends up is in broken real-life relationships and office workers choosing their job and it’s pseudo-familial synthetic community over real relationships and the real mental health benefits that come from family and friends. And under-evolved middle-aged people burnout, have breakdowns, develop destructive addictions and are spat out into a… Read more »