A recent report by office consultancy experts, Making Moves, has revealed that most UK employees are happy to work from the office at least some days of the week.
The study surveyed over 2,000 adults across the UK and found that a majority of workers prefer to spend at least part of their week in the office, with 80.77% expressing satisfaction with this arrangement. Only 19.23% of respondents said they were unhappy working from the office on any given day, with this figure dropping to just 7.95% for Generation Z workers.
These findings come in the context of increasing corporate pressure for employees to return to the office. Companies such as Amazon, 3M, Santander, and Salesforce have all recently announced moves to bring their workforces back to the office, sparking debate and backlash. However, the report from Making Moves highlights the potential benefits of working from the office, particularly for maintaining workforce happiness.
Office Happiness and Generational Differences
The report shows a generational divide when it comes to attitudes towards office work. Generation Z (those aged 18–24) were the least likely to express dissatisfaction with office work, with only 7.95% unhappy with spending some time in the office. This suggests that younger employees may be more adaptable to hybrid work models that require a balance of office and remote work.
Interestingly, the happiest day of the week for working from the office was Friday, consistent across all age groups and genders. However, regional differences emerged, with workers in Belfast happiest working in the office on Fridays, while employees in Bristol were most content working from the office on Wednesdays.
The study also explored trends surrounding after-work social events. While Friday remained the most popular day for such gatherings, 23.38% of respondents indicated they did not enjoy attending these events on any day of the week. This figure was particularly high in Northern Ireland, where 36.21% of respondents expressed no interest in after-work socials.
This trend raises questions about the future of traditional office social events. Employers in regions like Northern Ireland may need to reconsider how they engage their employees socially, possibly shifting events to working hours rather than expecting participation outside the workday.
Anxiety About the Working Week Ahead
Another key finding in the report was the prevalence of ‘Sunday Scaries’ – a term describing the anxiety experienced over the impending workweek. According to the report, 41.28% of respondents expressed feeling this weekend anxiety.
Younger millennials, aged 25–34, were the most likely to report experiencing ‘Sunday Scaries’, while employees aged 55 and older were the least likely. The report also noted that every non-binary and transgender respondent expressed feelings of anxiety before the start of the workweek, highlighting a potential area of concern for diversity and inclusion efforts in the workplace.
The cost-of-living crisis has also impacted employee habits regarding office lunches. According to the report, UK office workers are spending more on lunch when working from the office compared to working from home. Two-thirds of respondents noted that their lunch costs had increased, prompting many to opt for meal prepping as a way to save money.
The majority of respondents (55.17%) expressed the view that employers should provide free lunches to their teams, with this sentiment being most strongly supported by Gen Z workers (60.80%). Conversely, only 39.08% of workers aged 55 and older agreed with this statement. The report also found that 53.88% of employees said they could not afford to buy lunch every day, with female employees more likely than their male counterparts to agree with this sentiment.
Working from Home: Distractions and Productivity
The report also examined the biggest distractions employees face while working from home. These distractions included watching TV, attending to house deliveries, running errands, browsing social media, cleaning, and managing pets. Younger millennials were the most likely to report being distracted by TV, with male employees being the most susceptible to this form of distraction.
When broken down by location, workers in Liverpool were found to be the most likely to watch TV while working from home. Additionally, Generation Z stood out as the generation most likely to nap while on the job, with one in three Gen Z workers admitting to sleeping during work hours.
These findings suggest that while remote working offers flexibility, it also introduces challenges to productivity that differ across generations and locations.
The insights from this report suggest that a hybrid model, where employees spend part of their week in the office, may offer the best balance between maintaining employee satisfaction and managing productivity. As businesses navigate the ongoing challenges of hybrid work, the findings highlight the need for employers to tailor their strategies. This could mean offering additional perks such as free lunches, adapting social events to employee preferences, or providing better support for those struggling with anxiety about the workweek.
With Generation Z set to make up a quarter of the global workforce by 2025, these changes will likely be necessary for attracting and retaining future talent.