American workers aren't returning to the office like their international counterparts—here's why

Workers astir the satellite passim Europe and Asia are going backmost to the bureau portion U.S. employees are inactive moving from home.

Even arsenic radical got vaccinated and Covid restrictions eased implicit the years, U.S. bureau occupancy remains stagnant astir 40% to 60% of pre-pandemic levels, varying by period and by city, according to information from the commercialized existent property steadfast JLL and reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Meanwhile, bureau attendance has returned to 70% to 90% successful Europe and the Middle East, and astir 80% to 110% successful immoderate Asian cities, meaning immoderate workers are spending much clip successful the bureau present than pre-Covid.

In particular, respective planetary cities steadily reached astatine slightest 75% bureau occupancy passim 2021 and 2022, according to JLL data, including Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Paris and Stockholm.

Average bureau attendance successful 10 large U.S. metros only precocious reached 50% for the archetypal clip since the pandemic hit, based connected information from Kastle Systems. (Attendance varies wide by city, from 66% successful Austin to 41% successful San Jose, Calif. for the week ending Feb. 22.) 

Here are 3 large reasons wherefore American workers aren't returning to the bureau portion their planetary counterparts are:

Americans are much apt than radical passim Europe and Asia to unrecorded successful the suburbs and person bigger homes, making it much appealing to enactment remotely from home.

On the flip side, moving from location is little ideal, and little common, successful large cities wherever micro-apartments and intergenerational households are the norm, similar successful Hong Kong, for example.

Living successful the suburbs means surviving farther distant from metropolis centers, which makes commuting much burdensome.

Americans who unrecorded successful large U.S. cities inactive person their ain commuting issues, though.

Even successful large cities with nationalist transit, similar New York and San Francisco, radical unrecorded farther distant from metropolis centers to prevention wealth but commercialized little rent for longer commutes.

New York workers person the longest mean commutes successful the U.S. astatine 58 minutes 1 way, followed by Chicago (57 minutes) and Los Angeles (52 minutes).

Workers successful Hong Kong, London and Singapore person immoderate of the shortest mean commute times, hovering astir 45 minutes each way, according to information from Moovit, a  mobility-services company, provided to WSJ.

Public transit systems successful Europe and Asia thin to beryllium much accessible and reliable, workplace experts say.

Finally, U.S. workers whitethorn person unsocial leverage successful the continuously choky labour marketplace that's favored workers during the Covid-economy rebound.

As of January, the mean unemployment complaint was 3.4% (about fractional of the European Union's jobless rate) and layoffs hovered astir 1%, some adjacent grounds lows.

Workers are utilizing that leverage to defy return-to-office requirements.

Employees astatine immoderate of the astir almighty companies, including Apple, Disney and Amazon person forcefully pushed backmost connected caller RTO mandates, oftentimes stating that their contributions portion moving from location during the planetary pandemic helped institution profits soar, and that doing distant with distant enactment is astatine likelihood with improving workplace productivity, engagement and diverseness efforts.

A bully stock of workers, 39%, accidental they would discontinue if their quality to enactment from location was taken away, according to a survey of 2,300 workers from Owl Labs and Global Workplace Analytics. Nearly fractional accidental they'd halt moving arsenic hard if the payment was eliminated.

A 50% mean bureau attendance complaint could go the caller norm for American workers, says Owl Labs CEO Frank Weishaupt, though helium expects it to fluctuate passim 2023 if layoff announcements scare radical into going into the office, helium says.

One certainty: Americans volition ne'er presumption the intent of the bureau successful the aforesaid way, says John Gates, JLL CEO of Americas Markets. "Business leaders indispensable present absorption connected delivering human-centric spaces designed to enactment and amended employee's wellness and wellbeing, present highest experiences, and supply the latest successful exertion that fosters collaboration and creativity." 

Check out:

Workers study a 4-day workweek improves health, finances and relationships: It 'simply makes you happy'

More Americans are present moving afloat distant than 3 months ago, contempt less WFH occupation openings

Bosses are expanding RTO requirements, but experts accidental it won't stick: 'We're astatine an inflection point'

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