UK employees spend less time in the workplace than those in other countries but still want more time out of the office, a new report has found.
The study by global workspace creation company Unispace revealed that every week, around a third (34%) of UK staff are in the office for four or more days, compared to half (50%) of the global workforce.
Returning for Good, a Unispace Global Workplace Insights report surveyed 6,650 business leaders and 9,500 employees across 17 countries. It discovered that just one in five (21%) of UK employees were happy to spend a minimum of four days in the office.
While just over half (53%) of UK staff anticipate having to be in the office a minimum of four days a week, nearly three-quarters (74%) of employers expect this will happen. According to Unispace, the disparity highlighted by the data suggests communication problems between employers and employees.
Lawrence Mohiuddine, CEO, EMEA, said: “Results from the UK highlight that employees are now in the driver’s seat and are better able to make demands of their employers more than ever before over where and how they choose to work. However, there is a clear lack of communication between employees and businesses, with views around future office returns and the impact of hybrid working on career progression differing between the two groups.
“Businesses need to find a way to strike the right balance to encourage people to form new habits and head into the office but, equally, employees need to be given a compelling reason to do so.”
The report further found that three-quarters of businesses believe hybrid workers may be less likely to benefit from career progression such as wage increases, bonuses and promotions, yet only 59% of individuals believe this would happen.
Additionally, UK employees reported the least company loyalty, at 68% compared to 77% globally, yet 74% of UK employers think their employees are dedicated to the business.
Mohiuddine added: “With 58% of workers across the country still reluctant to return to the office, even if it impacts their career prospects, businesses will only continue to face recruitment and retention issues if they do not address the underlying challenges around workplace returns. This includes listening to what employees want in the UK, including creating more private spaces, mimicking the benefits of home working environments, whilst still gaining from the benefits of collaborative and social workspaces.”
