According to recent research, 60% of UK employers have seen employee engagement decrease within the last year. This is hardly surprising…

People, in their public and private lives, are under more pressure than ever, which is proven to significantly reduce performance, productivity and engagement at work. Over the last 12 months in particular, we have also witnessed a seismic shift in the attitudes of businesses around the world. Remote working, once hailed as ‘revolutionary’ and ‘agile’, is now being banished from business strategies and replaced with a full, five-day return to the office.

Amazon, for example, recently backtracked on its hybrid working policy and mandated its employees to be back in the office full time. What strikes me as most strange is that many of Amazon’s employees will be completing exactly the same work as before, but simply in a different environment. One that costs more money to commute to, leaves employees with less time, and arguably, is filled with an increased amount of distractions.

I believe insisting that staff are back in the office five days a week is fundamentally the wrong approach if we want to increase employee engagement and overall staff satisfaction. Countless research has shown working from home makes employees happier, healthier and more productive. And how many of us don’t value each and every one of those things?

The Third Place

Furthermore, research by Mortar Research found that three-quarters of employees feel going back to working five days a week in an office would damage their wellbeing. There are a number of reasons which can explain why the majority of people feel this way. Firstly, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that remote workers exercise more on average compared to their office-attending counterparts. It is no secret that exercise enhances creativity, productivity and self-esteem – all key components for increased job satisfaction and performance.

Away from work, I am a keen ultra-marathon runner, which requires a significant amount of training time. I would not be able to pursue this passion if it was not for the positive work/life balance that remote working provides. There may be some out there who could fit ultra-marathon running and an office commute in, but at what cost? Rushed evening meals, less time with family or saying no to plans with friends?

In the early 1990s, Sociologist, Ray Oldenburg coined the term ‘the third place’ which describes a familiar public spot, away from work and family, where you can regularly connect with others known and unknown, over a shared interest or activity. These places offer a sense of connection, and are important for our wellbeing and happiness. Yet, how many people can honestly say that they regularly visit a third place when undertaking an office commute?

The story is similar for sleep too, with remote workers getting an average of 24 more minutes of slumber a day. Getting enough quality sleep helps improve attention and concentration, enables better decision making and boosts our immune systems. All lead to better performance at work. Ironically, the latter could even lead to employees working more in the long-term by reducing the amount of sick days they need to take.

The Key to Employee Retention

There is also the much more human aspect to this argument. Without an expensive and lengthy commute, and by working to a schedule that suits them, employees have much more time and money to spend doing things they actually enjoy. Be it language learning, ultra-marathon running or spending more time with family, surely this should have higher value than bringing workers back to their desks so that they carry out their work, which they can do in equal measure at home.

As we know, countless research suggests that happier and healthier employees are more engaged, boost businesses, and give their employer a competitive edge so, frankly, what are the drawbacks?

There will be some critics out there who argue that we are more disconnected when we work from home. To them I say that we are now in 2025 and there are other, new ways to connect in our modern world which are only going to evolve. If you are a business leader or a CEO reading this, it is far better to embrace remote working now, and recognise it is here to stay, rather than be left with employees searching for jobs at more progressive businesses and eventually leaving.

It might seem extreme, but I can assure you that this is what will happen if you start mandating a five-day return to the office. And if, as an individual, you are looking to be healthier or happier this year (perhaps that is even part of your New Year’s resolutions), remember, working from home is not a nice to have. Instead, it is something that has a huge impact on your physical and mental health, and should be offered by your employer if they truly value you as a human being.