Majority Of Workers Have Already Returned To London Offices Ahead Of Restriction Lift

The government advisory to work from home ends on July 19 yet the majority of office workers in the capital have already returned in some capacity.

Over 70% of London office workers have already started to spend at least one day in the office and over a third are already back to pre-Covid working routines.

While extended lockdowns forced many people to work from home, only 10% of these office workers say they would choose to work from home full-time.

As the last of the UK’s remaining coronavirus restrictions are removed, research shows an increasing number of London workers desire a return to an office environment.

Employers across the nation are considering what a return to office life would look like, or whether it should return at all, but research conducted by Landsec shows that these office workers are positive about returning.

Aside from the practical benefits, the research underlines the social and cultural aspects office life brings. One-in-four London office workers have missed access to social, food and drink, or retail spaces as a result of home working, while as many as 80% feel they have missed out on building stronger relationships through not coming into the office. 

The research also shows signs of increasing confidence in returning to office life as the year progresses, taking into account factors including a greater proportion of adults with two vaccine doses. 80% of London office workers said they will feel comfortable returning to the office by the end of September this year, with the figure rising to 85% by the end of the year. 

Marcus Geddes, Managing Director, Central London, said:

“We are encouraged, but not surprised, to see a widespread desire to return to office working. This research underlines the benefits an office environment brings, whether through the practical benefits for businesses or improved wellbeing for all employees through genuine social interactions that cannot be replicated virtually. 

Places of work are the lifeblood of our economy and crucial in making our cities the vibrant hubs that can lead our national economic recovery. As before the pandemic, workspaces will not be occupied 100% of the working week and increase flexibility is welcomed by both employer and employee. The lifting of restrictions paves the way to encourage teams back to the office so that the physical workplace can remain a crucial element of any future working practices and importantly support the UK’s bounce back from the pandemic.” 

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The online survey of the UK public was conducted in partnership with Portland, which is accredited by the British Polling Council. Portland polled 1,019 UK adults (aged 18+) who primarily worked in an office in the UK before COVID-19. For any questions about the methodology, please contact: polling@portland-communications.com