Almost a third (30%) of employees have not returned to the office at any point during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, according to research by answering services provider Moneypenny.
In its survey of 1,000 UK office workers found that of the 70% that have returned to the office after the government relaxed Covid-19 measures, almost half (47%) worked there on a full-time basis and an equal amount (47%) worked flexibly between home and work, with the remaining 6% working staggered office hours.
Additionally, over half (54%) of respondents said they would be happy if their employer offered a permanent remote-working policy, with a further 30% saying they would be happy if this was a long-term solution, although they would miss the office environment.
When it comes to locations, West Midland offices workers are the most likely to go back to the office full time (41%), with those based in Yorkshire being the least likely (20%).
Overall, one-fifth (21%) of employees who are currently working in the office will continue to do so, regardless of restrictions in their area, with 30% in the North East and 31% in the East Midlands saying this was the case.
A spokesperson at Moneypenny said: “There is no clear way of knowing when, or if, office working will return to the way it was pre-Covid-19, but it seems that homeworking is a suitable alternative for most in the interim.”
