Going back to the office? 5 things to know about the commute of the future

Published May 6, 2022 2:04 PM EDT 2 Min Read

ZooxA Zoox autonomous taxi that seats four passengers.

The pandemic forced millions of workers to make a workspace out of their homes, taking commutes out of the equation. But now, as more employers consider having employees return to the office part- or full-time, the dreaded commute may be back in play.

According to the Census Bureau, 85% of the U.S. workforce drove to work before the pandemic — this number has since dropped, given that 45% of the U.S. worked remotely last year, according to a Gallup poll. But now, 60% of managers believe a full-time return to the office will be mandated in 2022, according to employee screening service GoodHire.

According to Zoox, 74% of commuters agree that COVID made them nervous about taking public transportation. Notably, the Census Bureau estimates that only 5% of the U.S. workforce used public transportation to get to work in 2019 — still, that’s eight million people who weren’t driving to HQ.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York lost millions of riders last year, and workers may still find themselves hesitant to use public transportation every day as new variants and subvariants of COVID develop.

Deanna Cuadra

Senior Reporter

Deanna Cuadra is a senior reporter at Employee Benefit News. Her work covers healthcare, U.S. policy and reform, challenges faced by women and parents in the workplace and innovation in work culture … Read full bio

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