Survey Finds Most Office Workers Meet No One In Person

A New York Fed survey found nearly half of college-educated in-office workers had no in-person meetings on their most recent office days.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Remote Work

Isometric editorial illustration of a large empty open-plan office floor with a single desk pod surrounded by identical empty chairs, one pulled slightly out of line. — Nearly half of college-educated office workers reported no in-person meetings on their most recent in-office days, according to a New York Fed survey of 1,835 workers. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do your in-office days actually involve meaningful in-person interaction with colleagues?

A Federal Reserve Bank of New York survey of 1,835 college-educated workers, conducted in September, found 48.8% had no in-person meetings with teammates or non-teammates on their most recent in-office days. The findings suggest many office visits involve little face-to-face interaction.

Why it matters

The results challenge the assumption that required office attendance produces collaboration. Researchers say the pattern reflects fully remote colleagues, geographically spread teams, and collaboration technology that lets workers interact without sharing a room.

Among 1,835 surveyed college-educated workers, 48.8% had no in-person meetings on their most recent office days, and 70.6% had at least one teammate absent. Researchers noted that the survey's September timing may understate attendance pressure that builds later in the year.

The players

Federal Reserve Bank of New York

The New York Fed is the regional Federal Reserve bank that published the survey on in-office remote work among college-educated workers.

Natalia Emanuel

Emanuel is a researcher who co-authored the analysis of survey, personnel, and badge swipe data on office attendance.

Emma Harrington

Harrington is a researcher who co-authored the analysis of survey, personnel, and badge swipe data on office attendance.

The details

Researchers Natalia Emanuel and Emma Harrington analyzed survey responses alongside Fortune 500 personnel and badge swipe data and Bureau of Labor Statistics American Time Use Survey data. Separate Fortune 500 data showed nearly half of corporate employees had at least one teammate out of the office on in-office days.

September 2026: The NY Fed survey of 1,835 college-educated workers was conducted.
November 2, 2026: CNBC published an article on the survey's remote work findings.

Remote Work

The New York Fed survey adds data to the office-attendance debate by measuring interaction on in-office days directly. Gallup polling showing worker sentiment at a 15-year low frames the survey's findings against a broader decline in workplace engagement.

Workers required to commute may find that in-office days involve limited face-to-face contact with colleagues. Employers weighing attendance mandates may need to consider whether teams are spread across locations and whether collaboration happens through remote tools anyway.

The takeaway

Office attendance does not guarantee in-person collaboration, since nearly half of surveyed workers had no in-person meetings on their most recent office days. Workers and managers planning schedules may find that the purpose of each office visit matters more than the visit itself.