With the pandemic in the rearview mirror, return-to-office mandates are on the rise. Many workplaces now ask their employees to show up two to four days a week instead of nine to five. This “new hybrid status quo” presents cities, Business Improvement Districts, retailers, dining concepts and commercial real estate firms with significant challenges. While there has been an increase in office visits since initial closures, this recovery has plateaued recently due to virtual work having an impact on a portion of the workforce.
To better understand worker visitation patterns and preferences for these downtown areas across major U.S cities such as Boston MA; Chicago IL; Houston TX; New York NY and San Francisco CA , Placer AI collected employee data showcased in its white paper entitled “Exploring The On-Site Workforce In 5 Major US Cities” . Some key takeaways from this report include:
– Employee traffic is heavier during midweek while Fridays & Mondays have lower share of visits
– Top executives account for disproportionate share of employee visits leading by example
– Proximity plays important role with one quarter or more employee visit coming from area less than 1 mile away from main business center (except Houston where cars are relied upon)
– One person households had disproportionate share of employee visit
Ethan Chernofsky Senior Vice President Of Marketing at Placer AI noted that employers focus on making workplace appealing through amenities within building & experience around it which helps offset some impacts caused by virtual work . He further added that ripple effects like lower workplace attendance also affects food trucks , stores , hotels & subway systems .
