Back to work: Half of Londoners miss socialising with colleagues, survey finds
Half of Londoners have missed socialising with their colleagues while they have been working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, a survey has found as more staff return to offices.
Many employers are seeking to permanently embrace home working after lockdown forced offices to close.
However 49 per cent of London-based office staff have missed the social aspect of work, and more than a quarter admitted they had missed being able to bounce ideas off colleagues.
Meanwhile 25 per cent said they missed having a change of scenery, while 21 per cent want to get back to the office to have a break from home life.
Londoners were the most likely out of any UK region to be working remotely during lockdown, with just five per cent saying they have not worked remotely, according to research by Savills’ flexible office specialist Workthere.
While some firms are keen to incorporate more remote working into normal life, concerns have been raised about city centre-based businesses, such as coffee shops and dry cleaners, that depend on a daily influx of commuters to survive.
Workthere global head Cal Lee said: “It’s clear from our figures that remote working fatigue is starting to set in with workers missing the social aspect of the office.
“While lockdown was a period to reflect on what motivates and inspires people in the workplace, it could not be clearer that it still has a huge role to play.”
Global research analyst Jessica Alderson added: “While there is most certainly a place for remote working, we expect more and more people to return to the office now the summer is over.”
She said: “As businesses return to the office and we see a more blended mix of office and home working moving forward, we expect to see a continued shift in the pattern of hours worked across London offices.”