Why Only 8% of Manhattan Office Workers Returned 5 Days Per Week

Given the recent shift, some wonder if offices have become a thing of the past.(Jeffrey Zeldman/Flickr)

With so few Manhattan workers returning, remote work appears to be here to stay

New York City — "Remote work is on the rise. Will offices become obsolete?" Stephanie Ossenbach asks.

According to a recent survey, during a typical weekday in April — over 60% of Manhattan’s office employees worked from home. As for showing up at the office for an entire week, less than 10% cared to make an appearance.

For New York City, which boasts the largest office sector in America, such drastic shifts alter the very fabric of the city. “The longer people worked remotely, the longer they wanted to continue to work remotely,” said Kathy Wylde, the CEO of the Partnership for New York City.

For ages, philosophers have emphasized humans are creatures of habit. And if there's one "habit" virtually all humans share, that habit would be this: people instinctively search for ways to save time and energy. Always.

Most workers dislike, pardon, strongly dislike the daily commute from home to office. Quite simply, for most, such back and forth wastes too much precious time and energy. As Hannah Watkins puts it, "the problem isn’t the office – it’s the commute."

As every New Yorker knows fully well, no other place on Earth better personifies Gump's "life is like a box of chocolates" than the City That Never Sleeps. Heck, a mere subway ride has the potential to turn into Ripley's Believe It or Not! filmed before a live studio audience. And at 7 am, most workers rightfully prefer their safe havens.

In short, fewer than 10% of Manhattan office workers returning to the office merely reflects that old saying — there's no place like home.