Number Crunch

A Quarter of American Workers Are Already Back at the Office

Employers are hoping FOMO gets you to come in, too

25%: That’s roughly how many employees in the U.S. are going into the office nowadays, according to data from Kastle Systems, an office security firm, cited by the New York Times.

That said, there are some significant regional differences: More than a third of employees in Texas are back in their offices, while that number is under 20% in the New York, Chicago, and San Francisco areas. As vaccines roll out, and it becomes safer to commute and work in shared spaces, many businesses will expect their employees to return to the office. While technology has made it easier than ever for people to log in to work remotely, the employers interviewed by the Times believe that in-person work is crucial to more effective collaboration, nurtures younger employees, and helps build a company culture. Perhaps most crucially, many are still paying rent on multiyear office leases, and would like to see those dollars and that space not go to waste.

Employees aren’t as keen as their employers to return, however. The Times cites a PwC survey from last year showing that while 55% of people said they would prefer to work remotely at least three days a week after the pandemic…