Most Brits ‘happy’ to be back at the office, reveals poll

Over half of Brits (55%) are happy to be working in the office again and enjoying seeing old colleagues, according to a new poll.

The number of people returning to the office this month is set to rise to levels not seen since the start of the pandemic last year. Cities like London, Birmingham and Liverpool have seen more people return to work over the last few days. Transport for London data, for example, shows that Monday’s (6 September 2021) commuting hours were up by nearly a quarter (24%), compared to the week before (on Tuesday).

MENTAL HEALTH BOOST

However, a third (33%) of the nation admit to feeling unmotivated now that the long summer break is over; and having ‘holiday blues” upon returning to work this month. The poll, carried out by IT service provider Totality Services found that of those pleased to be back in the office, almost half (41%) put it down to seeing colleagues again.

A quarter (25%) believe that being back at work helps their mental health; 21% admitted they are happy to have a break from their family; whilst a third (30%) feel they are more productive in the office.

SNEAKY ‘SLACKING OFF’

Whilst it’s not clear exactly how many Brits will return to the office, part-time or full-time, a fifth (20%) of the nation are actually not that happy to be back and would prefer to work from home full time. Around a quarter (26%) put this down to enjoying spending more time with loved ones; 24% say home-based work allows them to be more active and fitter; whilst a fifth (20%) claim it’s “been nice to be away from colleagues”. Additionally, one in 10 workers admit they have managed to get away with ‘slacking’; and doing less work whilst based at home.

“After a very tough 18 months of working at home, it’s no surprise to see that people are enjoying being back in the office with their colleagues again,”commented Luis Navarro, Co-Founder of Totality Services. “On the flip side, I’m not surprised to see that some people have got used to working from home; and do not want to return to their workspace. We’re helping many of our clients transition back into the office and move closer towards some form of normality at work.” Check out Totality Services’ Returning to the Office Best Practices here.

UK & US COMPARISONS

Anther piece of recent research revealed that more than half of UK office workers have now returned to the workplace on either a full- or part-time basis, with many seeing some ‘surprising benefits’ as a result. Click here to read more.

What about the US? New research has revealed that the majority of US companies anticipate a full return to the office once the pandemic ends. However, 42% of US workers fear catching Covid-19 upon return to work after the long Labor Day weekend. Click here to read more.