More people are being told to come back to the office as COVID-19 fades into the rearview mirror, although occupancy levels are still half of what they were before the pandemic.
Occupancy rates in downtown areas across the country were at a pandemic high of 47.5% in the business days from Sept. 8 to Sept. 14, right after the return from Labor Day, according to Kastle Systems, which tracks security swipes into buildings in 10 large cities. The number represents a big leap, more than 4 percentage points, from the preceding week.
Still, despite these gains, many companies have decided to allow an indefinite hybrid work model for workers. The three-two model is the most popular, with workers going into the office three days a week — for example, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday — while working from home on Mondays and Fridays.
Kastle’s data also bear out this shift toward hybrid work. While different employers choose different days on which they require workers to be in, many favor having in-office work at the core of the work week.