Safety and quality of life worsen, US media: staff members of the United States are unwilling to return to the office

The Wall Street Journal of the United States on July 7th, the original title: The big city cannot let the employees return to the office at the end of May, a gunman shot a employee of Goldman Sachs in the New York City Metro. Soon after that, the mailbox of Goldman Sachs CEO Su Dewei began to receive emails. Employees expressed sadness and concerns to Su Dewei. According to people familiar with the matter, they also questioned the feasibility of returning to the Manhattan office. Later that day, Su Dewei called the New York City Mayor Eric Adams, saying that employees were unwilling to come back because the safety and quality of life of the city were deteriorating.

Data map source Visual China

The office is still deserted

For more than two years since the outbreak of new coronary pneumonia, the heads of enterprises, cities and communities across the United States have become increasingly angry. They saw that restaurants, airports, stadiums and other people gathered in normal life, but the office was still deserted. Even if many employers adopt a mixed office timetable, few employees are willing to return to the business district.

In a large city in the United States, employees are not willing to return to the office. Statistics from Kastle Systems showed that the usage rate of the national office reached the highest point during the epidemic in early June -44%, but Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, and New York were lower than this. This difference makes political figures and business leaders in related cities nervous, because office workers are the engine of the local economy and the motivation of small enterprises.

According to a report released by the mayor of New York this spring, from April 2020 to March 2021, 2,6300 small companies in New York were closed permanently. According to data from the commercial real estate service company CBRE GROUP Inc., Manhattan's shop rents have declined for 18 consecutive quarters.

Commuting, crime, and inflation are all problems

For office workers in big cities, commute time is too long. According to the Wall Street Journal's analysis of the 24 metropolitan areas in the United States in May, New York, Washington Special Administrative Region, San Francisco and Chicago have the longest commute time in the country, and the return rate of these cities is often the lowest.

Frequent crimes have also made big cities employees more and more disturbing. According to statistics from the New York Police Department, from 2019 to 2021, crimes including murder, robbery and attacks increased by 7.5%. In San Francisco, there were 56 murders in 2021; in Los Angeles, violent crimes from 2019 to 2021 rose by about 4%.

In addition, Brian Klopp, vice president of human resources research of the consulting company Gartner, said that the company often heard employees complaining: "I am still worried about the epidemic, as well as gasoline per gallon -this is too expensive "Also employees said," Half of the people around me stayed in my own office, why should I go to the office? "

A survey completed in March of this year of accounting and consulting company PwC showed that among employees who can complete the work remotely, there are two models that tend to mix with the office work in remote and offices. A survey of human resources service company ADP last November showed that 68%of North America employees said that if the manager insisted on letting them return to the job, they would consider changing their jobs.

Executives call for cracking down crimes

Many executives said that after the setbacks caused by a series of cases, they felt that they had made progress in returning, and the recent subway shootings and other violence in New York made their efforts.

Beginning in the summer of 2021, Celesti Rodriguez likes to go to the office several times a week. At that time, her advertising company began to implement a voluntary return policy. The 26 -year -old client manager likes this rhythm change and likes to stay away from her residence in Manhattan for the time being. But on the way to work last winter, there was only her and a man in the subway car, and the man whistled at her. She said, "I cried in the office, and I was frightened."

Rodriguez didn't take the subway for a month, trying to choose walking or riding a bicycle. She occasionally go to the office, but when she feels too depressed, she will go to the cafe to work.

Many New York executives are pushing relevant departments to take stricter measures on crimes. In addition, in order to eliminate employees' concerns about subway safety and high oil prices, some companies have filed a payment fee or provided new transportation subsidies. Last year, Deloitte Certified Public Accountants stated that it would provide employees with reimbursement of up to $ 1,000, tolls and other commuting costs.

Some companies said they will implement a stricter policy after summer. Ryan Williams, the founder and executive chairman of the real estate startup Cadre, said that it is voluntary to return to the office now, but the company hopes that employees will be in the office for 3 days a week after September Labor Day.

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