The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally altered the look of offices in New York City and other major metropolitan areas, forcing an unprecedented reliance on remote work that many say has proven less costly for employers and more convenient for your employees.
And the appearance of Omicron may have changed him forever.
That appears to be true at least as far as Manhattan is concerned, according to a survey of major employers released Tuesday by The Partnership for New York City.
Three-quarters of major employers surveyed between January 10, around Omicron’s peak, and January 18, when that increase continues to recede, said they delayed their plans to return to the office due to the impact of the variant, while less than two-thirds were confident that at least half of their workers would be in the office by the end of March.
More than a fifth of respondents (22%) said they can’t even estimate when their employees’ office attendance would reach that threshold, the study found. The Partnership. Two percent said they don’t expect it to happen until 2023 at the earliest, while about 38% expect to hit that milestone sometime before March 31.
Among the direct impacts of the Ómicron protocol as indicated by the survey:
- 34% of businesses reinstated mask mandates.
- 22% of businesses closed offices to non-essential employees.
- 10% face-to-face meetings suspended.
- 7% business trips suspended.
- 5% stopped allowing guests in the office.
Just over one in 10 large employers surveyed (12%) require all employees to be vaccinated and receive a booster shot by a specific date, according to The Partnership, but there do not appear to be data on vaccination requirements outside of the booster shot.
Under the New York City emergency order, all private and municipal employers, regardless of size, must ensure all employees are fully vaccinated or given an intent date by when partially immunized workers complete their series. That request doesn’t include reinforcements at this time, and Mayor Eric Adams didn’t indicate he planned to add it anytime soon when he said earlier this month he would keep it in place.
Meanwhile, 25% of companies surveyed require regular testing for employees returning to the office in person, while 7% require negative COVID tests for guests, regardless of vaccination status. Six percent said they require proof of a negative test only for unvaccinated guests.
The Partnership for New York, which represents the city’s business leaders and largest employers, only asked questions of large Manhattan businesses for the purposes of this study.
Most have offices in Midtown West (37%), Midtown East (34%), or the Financial District (16%). More than a third of respondents (36%) are in finance, followed by real estate (16%), law (11%), technology (5%), consulting (5%) and media (5%). ).
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