Lure of Christmas parties draws workers back into the City

The lure of Christmas parties has propelled the number of workers in the City to the highest level since the first Covid-19 lockdown in March last year.

Traders, brokers and bankers have flocked back to their physical offices in the capital to capitalise on boozy parties that sweep across the City during the festive period.

Four in five workers in the Square Mile were back at their desks on Tuesday and Thursday last week, reveals new figures compiled by Google.

City workers are seemingly getting back into the groove of conducting trades and striking deals back at their desks after spending months working from home – but only during the middle of the week.

Office attendance rates on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are comparably much higher compared to Monday and Friday due to City workers opt to work from home at the beginning and the end of the week.

Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at City broker CMC Markets UK, told City A.M.: “Everyone’s coming in two or three days a week, with most people tending to do Monday and Friday at home. Thursday is the new Friday.”

The sudden uptick in City workers getting back behind the desk could have been driven by them heading to the office with the intention of attending festive gatherings after work, Hewson added.

But, the emergence of the Omicron variant has cast doubt over whether City workers will continue to flow into their offices.