The working week will change its face: it's time to rethink the standard working hours. At least, that's what he claims Steven Roth, the president of a major player in the American private real estate sector. If you think that a future with a 5-day work week is a solid and immutable reality, I have the impression that you will have to think again. On purpose: how are you on friday?
The change in the way of working
Roth announced recently that Fridays at the office are "dead forever." And that's not all. He makes matters worse by adding that even Mondays seem to be on the borderline, uncertain and shaky. Is he right? Maybe.
Meanwhile, he's consistent with his vision: His real estate group, Vornado, is carrying out a $1,2 billion megaproject to renovate its New York offices, many of which are located next to Penn Station. The target? Attract hybrid workers into the office at least a couple of days a week. More than a desire, to reduce commuting is an urgency, for the sake of those who would still spend every day at their desk because they have nothing in life but work.
Numbers and trends: Friday really gasps, followed by Monday
Roth's statements align perfectly with the most recent data on back-to-the-office trends. A report by Placer.ai, a company that monitors cell phone data from 800 sites across the US, found that office commuters preferred to do so in the middle of the week.
Specifically, workers appear to be more likely to commute to the office on Tuesday, with turnout approaching 70% of pre-pandemic levels. Wednesday and Thursday are not far apart, with occupancy levels close to 60%. But what happens the Monday and Friday? Well, here the situation changes drastically. In the US, office visits on these days of the week are just half of those recorded in 2019.
Friday at the office: old habits and new directions
We know, it's a part of the media tam tam that tries to bring everything back to the status quo: to counter the tendency to hybrid work, some companies are strengthening their position in favor of physical return to the office.
For example, Amazon has asked its workers to return to the office at least three days a week starting May 1. A directive that has not failed to provoke protests and petitions from employees, another sign of changing times.
Disney e Meta I am no less. Disney CEO, Bob Iger, said employees will all be required to return to the office no less than four days a week (including Fridays). Meta has also announced that workers will have to go to the office at least three days a week starting in September.
Nonetheless, many workers still resist returning full-time to the office, and companies are finding that their preferences and directives have little impact. Far from it: the wave of resignations is a fact, by now many workers have embraced or decided to embrace the YOLO economy.
The current situation
Second Castle Systems, a company that tracks when employees use their badges at office entrances, average office occupancy in the top ten US metropolitan areas was just below 50% in the weeks starting June 14 and 21. And, whatever people say, the reflections of an epochal change have also arrived in Europe: even in the "old" Italy.
| City | Wed 14/6 | Wed 21/6 |
| New York subway | 48,1% | 50% |
| San Jose Metro | 39,4% | 38,1% |
| San Francisco Metro | 44,4% | 45,4% |
| Chicago subway | 54,7% | 54,0% |
| Washington DC Metro | 46,9% | 46,3% |
| Philadelphia Metro | 40,9% | 41,2% |
| Houston Metro | 60,6% | 60,8% |
| Austin Metro | 58,3% | 58,2% |
| Dallas Metro | 54,5% | 54,4% |
| Media | 49,7% | 49,8% |
| Los Angeles Metro | 49,6% | 49,7% |
No, everything won't go back to the way it was. On Fridays and Mondays, they will sooner or later travel the avenue of the sunset. The days when offices were 100% full will be a distant memory.
The numbers say it.
