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A new poll by business advocacy group the Bay Area Council shows that 71% of employers in the San Francisco Bay Area have already brought their nonessential workers into the office or have plans to by the middle of March.
The majority of companies also said that they are anticipating employees to be in the office, at most, three days a week.
According to the poll, 67% of respondents expect new workplace policies to fully be in place by June, while 82% predict that their new normal will operate by August or September.
Currently, San Francisco is lagging in terms of office occupancy and low public transport rates as many professionals continue to work remotely. However, a full five-day work week return is not likely according to Gwen Litvak, senior vice president of the Bay Area Council.
“We know we won’t return to a five-day in-person work week, but we are eager to start planning our cities and workplaces for a hybrid environment that is good for workers and good for economic development,” said Litvak.
While this is a positive for employee sentiment, public transit is expected to suffer, with toll bridges in the region reaching 80% of pre-pandemic levels while the Bay Area Rapid Transit has sat around 25% of pre-pandemic numbers.
This could indicate a larger problem for cities that rely heavily on public transit, as workers who do commute to the office throughout the week may be more likely to drive themselves or opt for rideshare services.
