Offices left empty as New Yorkers work from home

The streets of New York City are normally full of people but now they are almost empty. The pandemic has made New York into a very different place.

Most offices are closed because their workers can't come to the city. They have to work from home. Lots of shops and restaurants are also closed.

Luc Kamperman works in New York for Veldhoen+. He only uses their office one day a week. He thinks people will go to offices less. This will affect cities.

Luc Kamperman: "But I do think that we will see a different type of vibe and that people are only coming in two or three days a week and not five days a week. So it will have a massive impact on everything that's built around these offices and having all, you know, all these people going to shops and cafes, etc."

Lots of office workers enjoy working from home. They find it more convenient. Experts think offices should change into places where people feel supported. They should be specially designed to be more creative places.

Younger workers and workers who live near their offices really want to come back to work in the city. Bhushan Sethi has written a report which focuses on these groups.

Bhushan Sethi: "Number of companies have been surveying their people on their comfort with coming back to the office. The, the main population who are looking to return back are people who either live in the city, where they can walk or cycle to work, or younger people. There are some younger people that have never been in a physical workplace and they're really craving that, or they live in a shared apartment."

View Less