Work from home orders lifted on Monday for Jacksonville but will remote work continue?

Jacksonville, FL — However, it remains to be seen just how many local companies opt to keep their employees home.

Major office parks in the Deerwood area feel deserted but come Monday employees could start trickling back in and that’s welcome news for places like restaurants and nail salons that count on lunch crowd businesses.

Countless offices in the Deerwood area are home to companies like Comcast and Merrill Lynch.

Barberitos Southwestern Grille & Catina manager, Tammy Mueller, says those employees are her prime clientele.

“Oh our lunch here relies on the office people it’s just been crazy slow,” said Mueller.

On Tuesday Mayor Lenny Curry announced work from home orders will be lifted.

“I’m removing the mandate but I hope that employers and employees can continue to allow remote access for those with children and vulnerable populations,” he said.

Curry added that he’s already spoken with a number of companies that plan on keeping their employees working from home despite the order expiring.

Social media platform, Twitter, took it a step further announcing that its employees can work from home in perpetuity.

According to Gallup Data, 63 percent of American employees said they worked from home from the end of April nearly doubling from the month before.

With the lunch crowd dwindling, fewer employees in offices could make it harder for local businesses to stay afloat.

“We’re keeping our fingers crossed that it doesn’t stay that way too long,” said Mueller.

In the meantime, Mueller is staying positive and encouraging people to support them if they can.

“Spend more time with your family bring them to dinner,” she said.