Rumors of the demise of the office are much exaggerated, according to new independent polling commissioned by the British Council for Offices (BCO), the representative body for the UK’s office sector. Just one in five (20 percent) UK adults plans primarily to work from home in the future, while only 16 percent hope that working from home replaces the office. Last week, Twitter, the social media company, announced that staff could ‘forever work from home’ if they wanted to. However, that offer would only be partially taken up by British workers, with many instead opting for ‘mixed working’, balancing time between the office and home.
The survey, which polled 2,000 adults nationwide, found that 38 percent do not plan to work from home at all. Meanwhile, more than a quarter (27 percent) plan to work from home for less than half of the working week, or on an ad hoc basis.
Workers are clearly missing office life. More than a third (34 percent) miss socializing with colleagues, while 35 percent miss getting out of the house or being in the center of town. Additionally, a quarter (25 percent) miss having a physical distinction between work and leisure.
Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive of the British Council for Offices, said: “Lockdown has prompted a great deal of speculation about the end of the office. However, this polling shows that just because people can do something, it doesn’t mean they will. The office remains popular because we are social beings, who work best together. Certainly, the way we work will change. Mixed working will probably become more popular and some of the stigmas around working from home will fade away, with people working from home more than they used to. However, the office will remain our most popular place of work. Rumors of its demise are much exaggerated.”
Despina Katsikakis, Head of Occupier Business Performance at Cushman and Wakefield, said: “Lockdown has shown that working from home can work, and at scale. However, we should not forget the many benefits that an office can possess. When working together in an office, people feel more connected to corporate culture and learn from each other, which is likely to positively impact creativity and innovation. The way we work will change as a result of the lockdown and the role of the office will change accordingly, but that is a far cry from this being the end of the office.”