Hybrid working soars in popularity as workers return to the office
An overwhelming majority of British workers still want to work from an office, but intend to do so “on their own terms”, research suggests.
A survey found that just 17% plan to work from home permanently after the pandemic. Far more people – 81% of those surveyed – want to work in an office, while 51% want a mixture of remote and in-person office work.
The Survation poll of 2,000 UK office workers and 500 senior directors is the latest evidence that the popularity of hybrid working has soared as a result of the pandemic. Before Covid-19, only 20% split their time between home and the office.
An overwhelming majority of British workers still want to work from an office, but intend to do so “on their own terms”, research suggests.
A survey found that just 17% plan to work from home permanently after the pandemic. Far more people – 81% of those surveyed – want to work in an office, while 51% want a mixture of remote and in-person office work.
The Survation poll of 2,000 UK office workers and 500 senior directors is the latest evidence that the popularity of hybrid working has soared as a result of the pandemic. Before Covid-19, only 20% split their time between home and the office.
The findings come as office workers gradually head back to the workplace ahead of lockdown easing further later this month. On 18 May, offices were half-full across the UK for the first time since the pandemic started.
The poll also suggested that despite reports of major corporations such as HSBC shedding office space, the trend may not be as widespread as some have predicted. Of the directors who were polled, 58% said they do not want to downsize their office and 62% want to retain and increase their space.
Zach Douglas, founder of flexible working company Orega, which commissioned the survey, said: “Brits have chosen to go back to the office but on their own terms and businesses are accepting it.
“If 2020 was about WFH or working from home, 2021 is seeing the emergence of the TWTs – people choosing to be in the office Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
“After working from home for a year, they want the best of both worlds. That’s why they’d like more space and privacy at work to focus and concentrate and don’t want to hotdesk.”
The reasons workers gave for wanting to return to the office were mainly to do the ability to work together, access technology and develop their careers. However, more than half also said it helped them to focus and improved productivity. 31% of those surveyed said their mental health had declined as a result of working from home.
The government has assembled a taskforce which is expected to issue guidance in the coming weeks on how to extend flexible working, potentially ensuring people who have transitioned to a hybrid of home and office working will be able to maintain that pattern.
The taskforce is also considering whether employment contracts need to change to enable more ad hoc, hybrid working in different locations.
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