Office occupancy halves as Omicron bites

Average office occupancy levels in the UK fell by more than 10 percentage points, from 20.8% the previous week to 10.7% in the week ending Friday 17 December, the lowest figure recorded since June, according to the latest data from Remit Consulting. The firm’s Return Report reveals the volume of office-based workers in the week following the prime minister’s announcement on 8 December outlining additional Covid-19 restrictions, including the guidance for people to work from home if possible. Lorna Landells, corporate real estate consultant at Remit Consulting, said: “The start of the school holidays and the Christmas break means the fall in the number of people working from the office was to be expected. However, the extent of the drop means that last week there were fewer people in the office than during the summer holiday period. This dramatic fall will be of worry to business occupiers and property owners alike, though not unexpected.” She added: “The mixed messages from the government, combined with the feelings of trepidation surrounding the Omicron variant, have caused further uncertainty for businesses and staff.” Remit Consulting’s research on office occupancy also tracks the levels of car parking and visitor numbers for the buildings in the survey, both of which also showed sharp falls for the week ending 17 December. To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@eg.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @EGPropertyNews Photo © Pexels/Pixabay