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Whether you’ve gone back to the office may depend on what part of the country you live in.
That’s according to a new survey by workplace occupancy statistics provider Basking.io. It found that Midwesterners were more than twice as likely to have returned to the office as people in the Northeast. In the first half of 2023, companies in the Midwest had a 56% weekly average peak office occupancy rate. The Northeast had the lowest rate, at 24%, while the South and West both came in at 31%.
Blame it on big city traffic. Easier commutes may be the reason the Midwest has so many more people headed to the office, a Bloomberg article suggested. “In the Midwest, it’s easier to get into the office, that’s why you are seeing more frequent visits,” commercial real estate executive David Mirmelli said in a webinar on the survey.
Hybrid work schedules are also popular, the survey data showed. In the US, more people went back to the office two or three days a week than any other schedule, except in the South, where one office visit a week was most common. The Midwest had the highest percentage of people going back four or five days a week: 34%.
WFH is worldwide: Remote work is prevalent around the globe, Basking.io found. North America, Asia-Pacific, and the EU have similar weekly average peak occupancy rates (35%, 34%, and 33%, respectively). Hybrid work is also widespread. One day a week in the office is the most common schedule for people in Latin America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, the survey found, with two or three office days a week the second most common.
Fri-yay?: Not surprisingly, more office visits take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays than on other days of the workweek, both in the US and abroad. Friday is the least popular day to head to the office: Only 12% of North American office visits happen on that day.