Fewer than one in five UK organisations are still setting mandatory in-office days, as several large corporations experience pushbacks from employees.
That’s according to the latest Hybrid Working Index from workplace management consultancy AWA.
The study, undertaken during the second quarter of 2024, comprising 34 offices, 14 organisations and a total population of 39,433 in the UK, revealed that the number of organisations with policies mandating in-office days has dropped since the first Hybrid Working Index, published in July 2022, when 49 per cent were mandating at least one day in the office for employees.
These findings, from AWA’s fourth Hybrid Working Index, come as many businesses, including global giants like Amazon and McKinsey, face pushback over return-to-office mandates, while others, such as Spotify, embrace employee choice and flexibility.
AWA’s data has revealed that the most popular hybrid working policies are currently ‘no policy at all’ (65 per cent) followed by ‘decide by team’ and mandates of at least one in-office day (18 per cent), which suggests that the organisations allowing more autonomy could be seeing better outcomes around attendance and workplace effectiveness.
With nearly half of employees left to decide for themselves, AWA’s research revealed that UK workers are now going into the office 1.65 days per week on average, up marginally from 1.5 days in July 2022. Desk usage has seen a more significant increase from 33 per cent to 49 per cent, which could be explained by UK organisations decreasing desk provision across the four indexes, from 79 desks per 100 to 56 desks per 100 today. Both attendance and desk usage are highest on Tuesdays.
AWA’s study found that just 13 per cent of UK organisations are still considering downsizing their office space, compared with 37 per cent when respondents were asked the same question in the previous index, published in August 2023.
Andrew Mawson, AWA founder, said: “Our research shows that more organisations are realising top-down mandates don’t work because they leave little room for employees’ needs, ultimately creating high levels of distrust. Allowing teams to decide their hybrid working policy not only helps build that trust but provides them with an opportunity to have valuable discussions about where, when and how work is done most effectively, improving team collaboration, dynamics and productivity.”
The main findings from AWA’s fourth Hybrid Working Index include:
- Only 18% of UK organisations are mandating in-office days, a 21-percentage point drop since the first Hybrid Working Index in July 2022. The most popular solution is no policy at all (65%), followed by ‘decide by team’ (18%), and mandates of at least one in-office day (18%)
- Average weekly attendance in UK offices has risen only slightly since the first index, from 29% to 33%. Desk usage, on the other hand, has increased from 33% to 49%
- As office attendance has barely risen, the reason for the rise in desk usage is likely to be a reduction in desk provision. The average UK office now offers 56 desks per 100 people, compared with 79 desks per 100 people in July 2022
- Attendance and desk usage are highest on Tuesdays (43%), compared with 28% on Mondays, 39% on Wednesdays, 38% on Thursdays, and 18% on Fridays
- Just 13% of UK organisations are still considering downsizing their office space, signalling that the post-pandemic rush to reduce real estate may have stabilised.
Mawson added: “Office attendance may have climbed slightly but it is still significantly lower when compared to historic levels. Our data shows that organisations may have reduced their real estate as far as they can. Now smart, progressive leaders need to optimise their spaces, maximise office utilisation, encourage greater social cohesion and trust, and boost organisational performance.”
The full report can be found here.
