UK workers spend less time in office than any other country

A new survey shows employees in the UK spend less time in the office compared to any other country, however, many want to reduce this time even further.

The Unispace study revealed that just 34% of employees in the UK are in the office four or more days a week, less time than workers in any other country, and just 21% say that they are currently happy to spend four or more days per week in the office.

Interestingly, 56% of UK employees indicate that their office is set up for hot-desking (the global average is 48%), and of those who work this way, 76% said that they would be more likely to go into the office on a regular basis if they had an assigned desk instead.

The report did highlight a misalignment between employers and employees, which perhaps suggests a lack of communication. For example, only 53% of UK workers expect to eventually be in the office at least four days a week, but employers are more likely to perceive that a return is on the cards, with 74% expecting this to happen in the near future.

Also, as many as 75% of employers highlighted that career progression, including pay rises, promotions and bonuses, will be negatively impacted for hybrid workers.

However, employees seemed to be less aware of this risk, with only 59% stating that they believe this to be the case.

Commenting on the findings, Lawrence Mohiuddine, CEO, EMEA at Unispace, said, “Results from the UK highlight that employees are now in the driver’s seat and are better able to make demands of their employers more than ever before over where and how they choose to work.

“However, there is a clear lack of communication between employees and businesses, with views around future office returns and the impact of hybrid working on career progression differing between the two groups.

“Businesses need to find a way to strike the right balance to encourage people to form new habits and head into the office but, equally, employees need to be given a compelling reason to do so.”

“With 58% of workers across the country still reluctant to return to the office, even if it impacts their career prospects, businesses will only continue to face recruitment and retention issues if they do not address the underlying challenges around workplace returns.

“This includes listening to what employees want in the UK, including creating more private spaces, mimicking the benefits of home working environments, whilst still gaining from the benefits of collaborative and social workspaces.”

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