The Big Number: 49% – The New York Times

More than three years since Covid arrived and upended the workplace, many forms of social life have bounced back almost entirely to their prepandemic levels. Air travel at the end of 2022 was nearly back to where it was in 2019.

But many offices remain stubbornly quiet, even as executives roll out perks to entice employees to return, touting elaborate free lunches and company-branded swag.