Seven weeks ago Ivy Cohen, owner of a communications firm, attended her first in-person business event since March 2020: the annual Advertising Week conference at Hudson Yards.
"I was excited. I was relieved. I was anxious," Cohen said.
Keeping with city law, attendees had to show proof of vaccination, and most events took place in new buildings with high ceilings. There were times Cohen could zone in and focus on the presenters or conversation.
Still, other times "suddenly you'd become quite aware you are near a lot of people and think, Oh, please be healthy," Cohen said. "But I was still mostly relieved that this was finally happening."
A recent
Crain's
reader survey found that many in New York's business world are cautiously venturing out to
conferences
and networking events, or their desk at the
office
. But a great deal of economic activity is still taking place in the cloud.
About 40% of the 521 respondents to the
Crain's
survey said the last business or networking event they attended was in-person. The rest last networked in the virtual realm.
When it comes to
working arrangements
, readers are evenly split: just over 30% are reporting regularly to the office; 31% are working from home full-time; and 38% are operating in a hybrid model—some days in the office and some days
at home
.
George Contos, chief executive of YAI, a nonprofit formerly known as the Young Adult Institute, said he's been reporting regularly to the office during the pandemic, in solidarity with the service centers and schools the organization operates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Much of their work cannot be done remotely. But attendance at the nonprofit's Midtown office is optional for administrative staff, and it appears many businesses in his company have yet to return their employees to the office, Contos said.
"From Starbucks to the building lobby to your wait while grabbing lunch—it is all much, much different," he said.
That might remain the case for some time. Only half of readers surveyed—which includes both management and workers—expect their place of business to mandate a return to the office. In the case that they do require a return, 83% of respondents said
companies should require vaccines
for in-person workers.
Despite the slow office return, New Yorkers are increasingly optimistic about the city's economic recovery. The number of respondents who expect New York to recover to pre-pandemic economic numbers reached 69%, up from 61% in June. But the perceived timeline for that recovery has extended. Last quarter 66% of respondents said the
city's economic recovery
would be complete sometime after next year. This quarter that number increased to 74%.
