Melbourne CBD employees only coming into office two days a week

The number of Melbourne CBD office workers coming into the office five days a week has fallen - with a huge spike in one kind of arrangement.

Melbourne CBD office workers are not coming in five days a week, new figures show. Picture: Sarah Matray

More CBD employees have returned to the office on a part-time basis since last year, but less are committed to working on-site five days per week.

New figures from the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry reveal a spike in the number of office workers spending at least two days per week in the office, with a majority of CBD-based employees embracing hybrid working arrangements.

More than half of city-based businesses have enforced a three-day in-office minimum for employees, while about one quarter of employers have requested workers come into the office at least two days a week.

About 46 per cent of CBD employees are working from the office three to four days per week, while about 38 per cent of workers attend the office around one to two days per week – up five per cent from last November.

About one in ten workers have not returned to the office at all since Covid restrictions were lifted. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis Ascui

Just eight per cent of CBD employees are committed to working five days per week in the office, compared to about 20 per cent last November.

About one in 10 office workers have not returned to the office at all since Covid restrictions were lifted.

Three quarters of CBD businesses do not expect employees to return to the office full time, but two thirds have committed to using social incentives – such as team lunches, after-work drinks or in person meetings – to encourage workers to get back in the office.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said the figures demonstrated office workers “have settled into a hybrid working routine” and highlighted what a “post-Covid CBD” would look like.

“While respondents are clearly telling us that they are enjoying the in-person collaboration and social connection that comes from working in-person with their colleagues, we can also see that the number of people committed to working five days in the office has dropped off significantly since November,” Mr Guerra said.

“The trend from November until now shows consistency in numbers back into CBD offices on weekdays. It means business owners that rely on CBD foot traffic should now be able to plan accordingly.

“We can now turn our thoughts to innovative ways to stimulate our CBD as part of our ongoing path to the future.”