77% of employees want some form of office return

Around three-quarters (77%) of employees want to return to the office in some capacity, with most preferring a hybrid approach.

Business energy solutions provider Gazprom Marketing and Trading (GM&T) carried out a survey among 1,000 staff to discover the extent of how working from home has changed the way people work, with the results exploring participants’ working hours, their mental health, and the challenges they have dealt with after a year of remote working.

A total of 41% would like to work from home for two to three days a week, with 23% preferring full-time remote working and 13% wanting to see a full-time return to the office. Six in 10 (60%) said they were more productive working remotely, and 59% found that they take more breaks when working from home, with their focus and concentration levels increasing as a result.

Additionally, 21% said that working remotely has impacted their mental health, with 40% believing it has worsened company culture, and 26% saying it has improved it. A total of 41% stated that socialising with colleagues is what they missed most about the office.

GM&T resourcing adviser Mark Trueman believes that even before the pandemic, the conversation around employee mental health was gaining ground, adding that taking care of yourself is clearly more important than ever in these isolated times.

“It’s been such a strange, unprecedented period for us all, so it’s not surprising that employees across the country have missed that social side of the office, as being around colleagues is a big part of many people’s jobs. Commutes and meetings can certainly take their toll on the way we work, so it’s great to see employees across the country using their time to be more productive where they previously might not have,” he said.