The report found that London workers have been slower to return to the office than those in other global cities such as Paris and New York.
London ranked near the bottom, with office attendance rates on par with Toronto and Sydney. Survey by Urban Center Think Tankconducted a survey of employees and employers in six major cities.
The study found that workers in central London spend an average of 2.7 days a week in the office, up from 2.2 days a week last year, and less than workers in Paris, who spend 3.5 days a week in the office, while workers in Singapore spend 3.2 days a week and workers in New York's central business district spend 3.1 days a week in the office.
London's results were similar to those in Toronto, where the average number of days in the workplace was 2.7 days per week, and Sydney, where the average number was 2.8 days per week.
On Friday, London's offices were the emptiest of all cities. It's also the only city where younger workers report to the office more often than their older colleagues, according to the report. People in their 20s report to the office three days a week on average, compared with two and a half days for those over 35.
“A quarter of London workers are in the office just one or two days a year – more than any other city,” said Rob Johnson, an analyst at the think tank and author of the report.
“That means there's a significant number of workers who are quite loosely connected to their office. London offices are the emptiest of all cities on Fridays and have the steepest drop from the weekday average – and London's weekday average is relatively low.”
The report found that commute costs are a bigger barrier to working from the office in London than any other city, and recommended Transport for London reinstate and extend its off-peak Friday policy to reduce commute costs.
In March, Transport for London introduced a three-month trial of all-day Friday off-peak fares on its transport network, including the Underground, Docklands Light Railway, Overground Rail, the Elizabeth line and some National Rail routes in London and the southeast.
Worker attitudes suggest few people dislike being in the office, and the report says companies that are spending money on “perks” and office renovations to lure workers back might be better off investing in subsidizing commuter costs.
The Urban Centre suggested that business leaders should lead by example. “Having more senior staff in the office could improve decision-making, productivity and the development of junior colleagues,” the company said.
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The think tank called on the government and Mayor of London to work with businesses and business associations in the capital's central region to continue raising expectations for the length of the office day, through a campaign similar to Let's Do London, launched to revive tourism after the pandemic lockdown was eased.
The survey found that fewer than one in 10 London workers would look for a new job if attendance requirements were tightened.
“The most common number of mandatory holiday days in London has changed from two to three days over the past year, with almost all employers in central London mandating something,” Johnson said, “yet internationally, London has the least mandatory of all cities surveyed.”
Another study commissioned by the International Workplace Group in June found that hybrid working makes employees happier, healthier and more productive.
Nick Bloom, a professor at Stanford University, Hybrid Working “The pandemic has revolutionised the way we work. Our research shows that working from home makes businesses more productive and leads to happier employees. But like all revolutions, navigating it can be difficult.”
