NEW YORK, May 23 (Reuters) - HSBC's ( HSBC ) employee

attendance has jumped to 80% at its new office in New York's

Hudson Yards area, said Michael Roberts, CEO of HSBC ( HSBC ) in the USA

and the Americas, on Thursday.

Attendance was 40% before the pandemic at its former base in

Bryant Park, Roberts said at an opening ceremony for the site.

New York Mayor Eric Adams and former mayor Michael Bloomberg

also spoke at the event.

The lender started to relocate staff to the new office in

February, and will move traders, the last group, in June.

HSBC's ( HSBC ) hybrid working policy has been among the most

flexible in the financial industry.

HSBC's ( HSBC ) new office has open working spaces overlooking the

Hudson River. It includes perks like a coffee bar, wellness

center, and a combination of private and shared spaces to tempt

workers back.

The company held a "chair fair," asking employees to weigh

in on their favorite furniture, and a "workspace fair" for

traders to choose their desk configurations, Mabel Rius, the

bank's head of human resources in the U.S., told reporters.

The office's massage chair is particularly popular, she

said.