Brits finally get back to their desks: Less than two in five workers are now spending some of the week at home compared to 43% who are in the office full time

The number of Brits coming into the office every day has finally exceeded those who spend part of the week working from home.

This is the first time the proportion of people heading into their workplace has outstripped the hybrid employee since pandemic restrictions were lifted.

Less than two in five staff (39 per cent) in Britain are now working at least some of the week at home, compared to 43 per cent of workers who report being fully in an office, according to a recent survey by recruitment firm Hays.

This compares to last year’s figures that found more professionals were splitting their time between home and the workplace (43 per cent) versus those who were working fully in an office (36 per cent).

Less than one in five (18 per cent) workers say they are working fully remotely now, versus 21 per cent of staff last year and 45 per cent in 2021.

The number of Brits coming into the office every day has finally exceeded those who spend part of the week working from home

Less than two in five staff (39 per cent) in Britain are now working at least some of the week at home, compared to 43 per cent of workers who report being fully in an office

The research, based on a survey of nearly 15,000 professionals and employers, revealed your location in the UK also influences the way you work.

Those living in the Northwest of England would be the most likely to accept a job in the future if it didn’t offer hybrid working versus just 44 per cent of those who work in London.

Less than a third (28 per cent) of the capital’s white-collar staff are back in the office full time, the lowest level in the UK.

‘Organisations would prefer to have people in the office,’ said Gaelle Blake, head of permanent appointments at Hays for the UK and Ireland. ‘But the workers themselves are saying that they wish to have flexibility.’ 

For those looking for a new job, hybrid working is the most important flexible option workers want to see, followed by a four-day working week with no loss of pay – which nearly half of people said they wanted (45 per cent), according to Hays.

But companies are desperately trying to get people back at their desks.

Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of firms plan to increase the number of staff coming into work over the coming year.

This echoes a separate survey from accounting giant KPMG that found four out of five bosses plan to tell workers they will not be paid extra or promoted unless they return to the office.

In the City, Goldman Sachs (pictured) has demanded that its 6,000 London staff return five days a week

In the City, Goldman Sachs has demanded that its 6,000 London staff return five days a week, while all senior directors at JP Morgan are also now not allowed to work from home.

Other banks such as Lloyds and HSBC are also increasing their efforts to get staff back in the office, over 18 months after the final Covid restrictions ended.

Yet smaller firms may not be as confident in getting people back through their doors.

James Chaplin, boss of data firm Vacanysoft, said: ‘Since the summer, many companies have returned to working on-site. However, this shift is driven by larger organisations, which represent a fraction of the workforce overall.

‘Smaller businesses continue to operate with high levels of hybrid working because they see it as a negotiating gambit to secure high-calibre staff. And we don’t anticipate this changing in the same way.’

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