Workers going into office ‘just 1.5 days a week’ after Covid lockdowns

According to a new survey, only 13 per cent of employees work from the office on a Friday

The news comes amid growing support for a four-day working week (Getty Images)

A new survey has suggested that company employees go into the office an average of 1.5 days a week – a significant drop from numbers before Covid.

Consultancy Advanced Workplace Associates surveyed 43 offices in the UK in June and July, gauging the behaviour of nearly 50,000 people across sectors including banking, energy, engineering, healthcare, insurance and tech.

Its findings suggest that UK workers attend the office an average of just 1.5 days a week, with many working from home or other locations for the rest of the week.

It suggests average attendance was just 29 per cent, with a peak of 39 per cent mid-week. The survey also found that only 13 per cent of employees work from the office on a Friday.

Before the Covid pandemic, the research found that workers in the UK went into the office an average of 3.8 days a week.

When the first Covid lockdown began in March 2020, offices adapted to a work-from-home model that has become more hybridised in the years and months since restrictions loosened.

However, many people have been reluctant to return to working patterns of life before the pandemic, embracing more of a discipline that balances work and home/personal life.

In June, 70 companies and more than 3,000 workers began a pilot of the four-day working week – the biggest trial of its kind in the UK.

Organised by 4 Day Week, the six-month pilot is aiming to create a “new way of working” which its founders believe will improve business productivity and the mental and physical health of employees, creating a “more sustainable work environment”.