Success·return to officeManhattan’s offices are on track to be just as busy as pre-pandemic years as Wall Street and companies drag workers back to the officeBy Jessica CoacciBy Jessica CoacciSuccess FellowJessica CoacciSuccess FellowJessica Coacci is a reporting fellow at Fortune where she covers success.
Prior to joining Fortune, she worked as a ducer at CNN and CNBC.SEE FULL BIO The crackdown on RTO measures is reshaping struggling real estate and employees enthusiasm to stay on site for a full 9-5 shift Dimensions-Getty Images’s return-to-office push is reviving New York’s office demand, with Manhattan leasing surging to 3.7 million square feet in August—well above the 10-year average, according to a new report from Colliers.
It comes as giants Amazon, Google, and Robinhood tighten RTO rules in the name of ductivity. ’s return-to-office push is breathing new life into New York City’s once-struggling office market.
Manhattan office leasing was up 20% in August compared with July at 3.7 million square feet.
That was nearly 40% above the 10-year monthly average of 2.72 million, according to a new report from Colliers.
As companies across all industries push for workers to get back into the office, instead of working from their couch, leaders in particular have buckled down on RTO measures.
From San Francisco to New York, industry heavyweights Google and Amazon have been demanding their workers return to the office—and it’s having a ripple effect on the real estate market in major cities New York.
Over the last 25 years, roughly 32 million to 33 million square feet were leased in a given year for those clocking in at their 9-to-5s in Manhattan.
The pandemic caused a 25 million deficit in office space being leased, according to the report. But since last year, leasing habits in the New York borough have returned to normal levels.
If demand continues at the same pace for the remainder of 2025, Manhattan’s office leasing could even top 40 million for the first time since 2019.
Amazon, Robinhood and JPMorgan push for RTO Members of the Magnificent 7– high performing companies in the U.S.
stock market who include high performing stocks Alphabet, Amazon, Apple and Meta are pushing employees back to the office in droves. Their reason? In-person work will boost ductivity, bosses say.
For example, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev is bringing his C-suite back into the office five days a week.
Managers will now have to commute just four days, and individual contributors will report three days a week to the office.
This marks a shift in tone from Tenev, who announced in 2022 that Robinhood would be a remote-first company.
He admits, however, that is a decision that he regretted “pretty much immediately.” Joining in on the movement, Microsoft is reportedly planning a stricter RTO policy after letting most employees work remotely for as much as 50% of their time working remotely without apval.
On Wall Street, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon enforced a return-to-office policy, requiring most employees to work in person five days a week.
Previously, the CEO d frustration with not being able to people as easily. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has perhaps been the most vocal on the importance of RTO measures.
“When you’re together, that invention is stronger. People riff on top of one another’s ideas better when they’re together,” Jassy most recently told the Harvard Review.
And it’s not enough to just show face on-site, the company’s even making sure workers are staying at their desk all day too.
To counteract “coffee badging”, where employees briefly swipe their badges, get coffee and skip out early to finish their work remotely, Amazon set a two to six-hour minimum obligation for in-office days.
The $2.4 trillion giant’s office space alone makes up over a million square feet of Manhattan office space leased since November 2024. Fortune Global Forum returns Oct. 26–27, 2025 in Riyadh.
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