Research undertaken by YouGov and Emburse - a management solutions company - has found that 68 per cent of British workers would return to the office full-time if their commuting costs were paid. This compared to 27 per cent of workers who stated that they would not return to office working even if their costs were paid by their company.
The research also found that 59 per cent of office workers would welcome a four-day week - ranking it as the main incentive that would encourage them to return to the office. Following that, 66 per cent of those surveyed listed Wednesday as their most popular day to work from the office - if given the choice - with 12 per cent stating Friday was the least popular day.
Other top incentives that would lure workers back to the office full time are more paid holidays - cited by 51 per cent of workers and paid lunch in the office - wanted by 48 per cent of under 35’s and 17 per cent of over 55’s.
Paid childcare appealed to the 35-44 age group with 34 per cent - significantly more than other age groups - saying this would make them consider returning to the workplace full time. Less than a quarter of 35’s and 8 per cent of 45-54’s specified paid childcare as an incentive.
Steve Herbert - an employee benefits expert - told HR magazine:
“The issue is probably caused by the sheer duration of the UK’s pandemic restrictions. Home working – and its associated savings in commuting costs – has effectively become the norm for many workers. At a time when the cost of living is at a high not seen in decades, it follows that few workers will be keen to engage again with these additional costs - some may in fact not be able to afford to at all."
Kenny Eon - GM and SVP EMEA at Emburse - stated:
“The impacts of COVID and the ‘great resignation’ mean that companies need to be more employee-centric in their approach and humanising the workplace has never been more important. Part of this means ensuring team members get the best possible work environment. Whilst working remotely is certainly convenient for employees, there are clear benefits of having in-person interactions, as well as the cultural importance of bringing teams together. Data clearly shows that they are more productive than audio or video meetings, so there needs to be a balance between convenience and productivity. A relatively small investment from employers could have a significant impact in driving more in-office collaboration.”
