More than 60 percent of workers are expected to return to Manhattan offices in September as the city recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic — but many have expressed concern about transit safety, a survey of CEOs found.
About 12 percent of Manhattan employees had already returned to the workplace in May — and that number is expected to hit 29 percent by the end of July, the Partnership for New York City’s poll of 180 top companies found.
By September, 62 percent of workers will likely be back in their Manhattan offices, the CEOs said in the report, released Monday.
The poll shows that employers are much more optimistic about returning to normal as rising vaccination rates have dramatically curbed COVID-19 infections.
In March, CEOs expected only 45 percent of workers to return to offices by the end of September following stay-at-home orders to prevent the spread of COVID.
But there’s another dark cloud hovering over the city, as transit crime has emerged as a major concern for the workforce.
A significant 84 percent of corporate executives report “that employee perceptions of mass transit are still an obstacle to returning to the office due largely to concerns about personal safety (cleanliness of the system is less of a concern than in earlier surveys),” the survey said.
The worries over public safety come amid a spate of gun-related murders as well as subway crime.
Employers in most industries increased their expectations of office occupancy.
Financial services employers expect 61% of employees to be back in the office by the end of September, up from the previous estimate of 50%.
But tech companies expect only 40 percent of workers to return by the end of September, down from the 51% in the Partnership’s March survey.
The real estate industry has been the most aggressive in bringing employees back to the office — 70% of real estate workers have returned to their offices, by far the highest rate of any industry.
Real estate firms expect nearly all of their workers to return to offices by the end of September.
The city’s largest employers have brought back workers to the office at a slower rate.
Only 8 percent of workers have returned to the office at companies with over 5,000 employees, compared to nearly 25 percent for firms with fewer than 500 employees.
The vast majority of employers — 71 percent — plan to adopt a rotating or “hybrid” office schedule. Most workers will be required to be in the office three days per week.
The survey asked about COVID safety policies. Only 27 of 180 companies said they will require that all employees be vaccinated for COVID-19. Others said they will actively encourage employees to get vaccinated.
But nearly half of employers said they will restrict unvaccinated workers from attending in-person or client meetings and a third will require the unvaccinated to wear masks or practice social distancing.
Many corporations have lifted workforce travel restrictions. More than 60 percent have resumed business travel, the survey found.
The Partnership asked employers to rank factors that they believe are the greatest impediments to employees’ return to the office:
About four in 10 said COVID-19 was the largest factor and another 34 percent cited vaccination rates as most pressing.
Public transit safety and employees’ desire to continue working from home were both ranked primary concerns by 16% of employers.
“Employers specifically noted employee concerns around the safety in and around public transit hubs like Grand Central and Penn Station,” the Partnership said.
Overall crime and public safety ranked fifth, with 9 percent citing it as a primary concern.
