More than half of office workers willing to go in 5 days a week but at a cost

Over half of the UK’s office workers are willing to work in the office five days a week, but employers may have to pay a price.

A survey of 2,000 office workers revealed that if required to come into the office more frequently, 51% would renegotiate their compensation package.

The report suggests men are more likely to broach this topic with their employer (58%) compared to women (43%). Moreover, a larger percentage of men consider their office working policy ‘fair’ and anticipate increased flexibility if office attendance is required more often.

The study also surveyed 500 business owners and senior leaders, with 59% indicating they would entertain renegotiations with staff to facilitate a return to the office.

Specifically, 47% stated they would offer more flexible working hours to help employees avoid peak travel times.

Nearly a third of the polled business leaders and senior managers now have employees in the office or workspace five days a week. With many worried that a fully-remote team would negatively impact their profits.

As a result of this, six in 10 are actively assessing the effect of their office working policy on productivity.

Rosie McKinnon from Gett, who commissioned the report, stated:”Our report reveals overall sentiment towards returning to the office is that it is better for individual and business performance.”

Interestingly the figures shows most workers are also in agreement as over half of office workers believe they would be more productive working in the office five days a week.

For three-quarters they believe the office environment is the best place for collaboration, and 77% feel their work performance suffers when they are unfamiliar with their colleagues.

And although the commute if often seen as the biggest drawback of office work, 74% of office workers utilise this time productively on work tasks, according to the data.

This trend is more prevalent among younger workers aged 18-24 and 25-34 (91% and 88% respectively) compared to those aged 55 and above.

Rosie McKinnon from Gett further added:”Our research shows the majority of organisations will stay agile and adapt to different working policies and patterns, but the importance of being able to travel to shared workspaces to connect remains a constant.

“Wherever it’s done, workers and their employers will see stronger results from people engaging in ‘intentional working’ – maximising the time they spend with colleagues collaborating, problem solving, and innovating.

“As we all strive for work/life balance, this shows commitment to making all ‘work’ time count.”