BlackRock Calls Workers Back To Their Desks 4 Days A Week

The world’s largest asset manager is ordering workers back to the office.

In an internal memo acquired by Reuters, BlackRock Inc. said employees will be required to be in the office four days a week. The company joins a string of other financial firms, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley, that enacted similar policies.

The announcements juxtapose new Placer.ai data that shows a full-blown return to the office appears unlikely. Office visits in 11 cities have plateaued at around 60% over the past six months, signaling a widespread acceptance of hybrid work despite pushback from top executives.

BlackRock’s policy is especially surprising given the upper hand workers have maintained amid a competitive job market. The nation’s unemployment rate has remained low, hovering around 3.5% over the past several months.

“Employees are saying we are going to push really, really hard against being required to be in the office five days a week,” Scoop Technologies CEO Robert Sadow told The Wall Street Journal. “Most companies in the current labor market have been reluctant to push [back] that hard.”

That could change if the nation hurtles toward a recession, and BlackRock’s move might be a harbinger of more employee mandates coming down the pike. But in general, executives tend to agree hybrid is the future — even during an economic downturn.

“Hybrid is becoming a bit of a truce,” Sadow told the WSJ. “It will continue to be more of the norm.”

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's National Newsletters
Related Stories

JVP Development Is Betting $37M Of Its Own Money That Frisco Is Ready For Spec Office

Wall Street Impatient For Big Tech Returns On Data Center Spending

As AI Adoption Ramps Up, Half A Million Property Managers Are In The Crosshairs

Hedge Fund Bids $88M For Spirit Airlines' Former HQ

Treasuries Hover Around 4.7% As Wall Street Questions If Warsh Is A 'Dove In Hawk's Clothing'

Avison Young Had Assets Frozen By Bank Over Unpaid Taxes

Camden Property Trust Sells West Coast Portfolio, Clears $1.5B Target

Churchill Downs Plans To Sell 9 Casinos, Focus On Horse Racing

Bringing Stability And Savings To CRE Insurance Through Working Layer

More Hotel Owners In Need Of Cash Are Getting It From The Big Brands

Former Arms Dealer Targeting Heartland Apartment Takeover Files For Bankruptcy

SEC Charges REIT, Its Founders With Alleged $152M Fraud Scheme