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Younger workers are visiting the office more than their older counterparts as hybrid working becomes mainstream, new research has shown.
Of all office workers in London, you are most likely to find 18- 24-year-olds on-site, figures from Centre for Cities show. The youngest bracket of employees visit the office 3.1 days a week on average, while 35- 44-year-olds are in the least, at 2.5 days on average.
Young people are also the most likely to say that they work well in the office, at 43 percent.
The authors add that this pattern has only emerged post-Covid, with older workers being slower to return to the office than those in younger age brackets. In January 2020, before the pandemic, it was younger workers that were less likely to be in the office, but this has now inverted.
The report also finds that the average decrease in office attendance amongst 45- 54-year-olds is almost two days. This age group would visit the office 4.3 days a week in January 2020, dipping to 1.8 in April 2023 before increasing to 2.7 in 2024.
“This runs against narrative that reluctance to return to the office is driven by younger workers,” say the report authors.
Fridays have also become the most quiet day in the office, findings show, with the least amount of workers choosing to commute in on the final weekday. As of June 2024, only 40 percent of workers visited the office on Fridays – the only day to attract less than half of employees.
The report authors are broadly critical of the figures, arguing that younger workers’ development is likely to suffer if they are unable to interact with more senior colleagues.
Andrew Carter, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities, said: “There’s no substitute for the benefits gained thanks to face-to-face interaction, particularly for younger workers.
“Having access to the wide variety of activities and experiences that offices in city centres offer is crucial for them, and the businesses they work for, to be successful.”
The think tank recommends that local and central government work together to encourage a ‘minimum number’ of days expected in the office for all workers. They also suggest a legal mandate for public sector employees, who average 2.4 days a week in the office.
Last month, this measure was taken by officials in Australia to enforce all civil servants based in New South Wales – including Sydney – to work from the office full-time unless a reasonable excuse was given.
However, the new Labour government’s approach to workers’ rights would suggest they have different plans. Spearheaded by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, the government’s ‘New Deal for Working People’ reportedly will give employees the right to request a four-day week of compressed hours, alongside a raft of other rights.
