{"id":3803,"date":"2022-06-28T05:24:01","date_gmt":"2022-06-28T04:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/?p=3803"},"modified":"2022-06-28T06:24:03","modified_gmt":"2022-06-28T05:24:03","slug":"how-do-uk-office-workers-rate-their-return-to-the-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/how-do-uk-office-workers-rate-their-return-to-the-office\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do UK Office Workers Rate Their Return to the Office?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3806 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/roadmapheader2-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"two cartoon figures in front of a large clipboard\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/roadmapheader2-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/roadmapheader2-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>We conducted a poll in May 2022 asking 450 UK office workers to express how they felt their employers had managed their return to the workplace after COVID-19 lockdowns. Limiting our pool of respondents to just UK office workers provided us with the best indication of how businesses across the country managed the extreme transition between remote and in-person working schedules, as this group was amongst the most drastically impacted by mandated isolation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This poll found that  <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">54.5% of UK office workers found their employer&#8217;s roadmap out of lockdown to be well presented, providing clear direction<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">27.6% of UK office workers felt they were confused by their workplace&#8217;s poorly presented roadmap out of lockdown<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Surprisingly, 18% of respondent indicated that their employers had no plans or roadmap in place for their return to the office<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When asked to rate their return to the office out of 5<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">46.2% of respondents rated it 4 or higher  <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">40.7% of respondents rated it 3 or lower  <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">13.11% of respondents indicated that they hadn&#8217;t returned to the office<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These results paint an interesting scenario, one in which roughly half of UK office workers are happy with their return to the office and the roadmap laid out by employers.  <\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3822 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/whatisaroadmap-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"a team of cartoon figures drafting a plan with a human-sized pencil \" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/whatisaroadmap-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/whatisaroadmap-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>What exactly is a roadmap out of lockdown, and why do they matter?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A pandemic of such far-reaching and drastic size as COVID-19 presented uncharted territory for all office workers globally. Whilst it&#8217;s true that we&#8217;d experienced multiple pandemics before, there wasn&#8217;t really any correlative for COVID-19 in living memory, something that led to numerous business, health and government leaders fumbling in the dark to figure out the best way forward. After navigating the early months of uncertainty and guiding employees to a point in which they were comfortable working under a remote or hybrid model, a lot of businesses found themselves struggling to communicate a return to the norm. With this in mind, it&#8217;s no surprise that many UK businesses&#8217; roadmaps out of lockdown were formulated on the fly, with a good helping of speculation and numerous emergency meetings forming the groundwork for a return to the office.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what exactly is a roadmap out of lockdown? Simply put, these roadmaps outlined the steps required for a business to smoothly transition back to pre-pandemic normality, restarting their in-person operations as efficiently as possible or adapting business practices to match a post-pandemic business environment. No one roadmap out of lockdown was the same, with the unique circumstances of each business factoring into delivery and implementation.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Typically, roadmaps out of lockdown for UK businesses involved first taking stock of the business environment and making changes based on employee demands or new market opportunities. After re-evaluating the environment, steps would need to be taken to reintegrate employees into the office, ensuring that changes were properly communicated and fresh expectations set.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That UK businesses did as well as they did, emerging out into a newly opened world after two years of lockdown, is certainly a positive indictment on the modern business world&#8217;s crisis management abilities and the impact of these roadmaps more generally.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As with any contingency planning, however, there are always going to be hiccups when plans are eventually implemented. Delving deeper into the key findings from our poll, it&#8217;s clear that there were glaring inadequacies in many businesses&#8217; roadmaps out of lockdown, whether that be tied to a general lack of clarity or the simple fact that some businesses completely failed to have a plan in place whatsoever.  <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3819 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/wellpresentedroadmapstat-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"stat showing that 54.4% of UK office workers believe their employer provided a clear and well presented roadmap out of lockdown\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/wellpresentedroadmapstat-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/wellpresentedroadmapstat-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>The majority of employers were able to provide a well presented and clear roadmap<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">54.4% of UK office workers indicated that the roadmap out of lockdown provided by their employers was well presented and provided clear direction. Whilst forming the majority of our respondents, this number barely sits above half of the 450 individuals polled. The fact that this figure isn&#8217;t higher is probably due to the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing businesses with few, if any, real-world examples to guide their own returns to the office. The vast majority of respondents had also never gone through such drastic shifts in imposed working conditions before, meaning that they had no experiences to compare against.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That businesses had roughly two years to get their heads around a probable return to the office would have been beneficial for the planning of these roadmaps, and is a likely contributing factor to how well employees viewed their execution. Having the necessary time to develop a clear roadmap guiding workers&#8217; returns &#8211; or at least one that was clear enough to seem effective considering the novelty of the situation &#8211; was obviously a massive boon for businesses, allowing them to spend enough time evaluating the post-pandemic business environment and implement relevant changes.  <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3809 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/confusingroadmapstat-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"two confused cartoon characters talking above a stat showing that 27.6% of UK office workers found their roadmap out of lockdown to be confusing and poorly presented\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/confusingroadmapstat-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/confusingroadmapstat-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>Some businesses failed to communicate their return to the office, leaving employees confused<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Businesses have crisis plans for emergencies, but usually these are for short-term crises that can be resolved within days to weeks. Even if they have plans in place for dealing with other viral outbreaks, to deal with the likes of gastro or the flu, this couldn&#8217;t have prepared companies&#8217; disaster planning for a global catastrophe of COVID-19&#8217;s proportions. Our poll indicated that 27.6% of UK office workers felt as if their companies didn&#8217;t handle their transition out of lockdown clearly, instead viewing the roadmap as poorly presented and confusing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Despite the length of time that a lot of businesses had to plan their roadmap out of lockdown, slightly more than a quarter of our respondents (27.6%) indicated that their employer presented them with a plan that was poorly presented and left them confused. This doesn&#8217;t come as a surprise, especially considering that a lot of employees would&#8217;ve felt naturally resistant to any plan to return to an office space after spending the better part of two years working from home. The distance that grew between employees and employers throughout the pandemic naturally led to breakdowns in communications, with some businesses failing to properly determine the preferences of their workforce prior to presenting them with a plan.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ideal working environment is different for everyone, with some preferring to spend their days toiling away in home offices and others jumping at the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/coworking-space.html\">coworking space<\/a>. Identifying the differences in working preference held by your workforce is a key element to any successful return to work, as it allows you to determine a clearly defined path forward that satisfies as many people as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3815 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/noroadmapstat-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"confused cartoon woman standing next to a stat saying 18% of UK office workers weren't presented with a roadmap out of lockdown by their employer\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/noroadmapstat-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/noroadmapstat-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>Nearly a fifth of UK office workers weren&#8217;t presented with a roadmap out of lockdown<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Surprisingly, 18% of UK office workers indicated that their workplace hadn&#8217;t presented them with any form of roadmap or plan out of lockdown. When combined with the previous finding&#8217;s contingent of workers who felt their workplace&#8217;s roadmaps back to work after COVID were lacking, we arrive at a total of 45.6% of employees either insufficiently sure about how a transition out of lockdown will go, or completely ignorant to any plans their workplace has for them. This is a pretty poor showing from UK&#8217;s business leaders, by any measure, and is the other side of the coin from the 54.4% of workers who felt positive about their employer&#8217;s post-lockdown roadmaps.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As stated earlier, it was understandable that businesses struggled to develop plans and strategies for their workers&#8217; post-lockdown return, but to have no evident plans after two years to prepare hints at staggeringly serious short-sightedness. Even businesses who opted to permanently adopt a remote model should have presented their employees with a roadmap clearly outlining the path moving forward out of lockdown, whether that included a return to a physical space or not. Whilst ultimately designed to reintegrate employees into the workplace, these roadmaps also served as a valuable tool to highlight the ways in which businesses changed as a result of the events of the pandemic, making them vital for all.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whilst we hope that these figures can be explained by poor communication of objectives or unpreparedness from quickly announced ending of lockdowns, it&#8217;s clear that a lot of businesses were asleep at the wheel to some extent.  <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3808 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/4starofficereturnstat-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"four happy cartoon characters walking above a stat saying 46.2% of UK office workers rated their return to the office with four stars out of five\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/4starofficereturnstat-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/4starofficereturnstat-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>Close to half of UK office workers highly rated their return to the office<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As mentioned in the overview of our results, 46.2% of UK office workers rated their return to the office as four or five-out-of-five. This figure sits slightly below the 54.4% of respondents that indicated having a well presented and clearly directed roadmap out of lockdown, making it difficult to draw correlation between the two.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This figure can be broken down and interpreted in many ways. However, when contextualised with the fact that only 12.7% of respondents rated their return as a two-out-of-five or lower, it becomes clear that more UK office workers favoured their return to the office than disliked it. We can draw on multiple explanations for this result, with concepts such as flexible work and a generally renewed focus on employee experience serving as potential keys. Ultimately, these results indicate that media attention surrounding employee dissatisfaction with returning to the office post-pandemic is likely overblown. Instead, it seems as if the majority of UK office workers have been relatively happy with the working environment that they&#8217;ve returned to, as well as the roadmap that has been laid out for them when doing so.    <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3816 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/poorofficereturnstat-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"one happy and one angry cartoon character above stats saying that 28% of UK office workers rated their return to the office 3 stars and 12.7% rated it 2 stars\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/poorofficereturnstat-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/poorofficereturnstat-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>However, some returns were less than ideal<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite slightly less than half of survey respondents providing a high rating for their return to the office, 28% opted to provide a middling rating of three-out-of-five, alongside the aforementioned 12.7% that chose to answer with a score of one or two-out-of-five. These results highlight the varying opinions of UK office workers surrounding the subject of returning to the office, with no singular option clearly garnering a majority of responses. This is likely indicative of the delicacy of the situation, with many businesses succeeding in some aspects of their return but failing in others.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has been extremely difficult for employers to fulfil the demands of all employees, with some favouring flexible work schedules and others preferring the structure of a more traditional working style. The fact that these clashing workplace preferences often exist within employees in similar roles makes it virtually impossible for employers to land on a working model that fully satisfies all parties, explaining the variety of responses seen in our poll.  <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3827 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/noreturntotheofficestat-LondonOfficesSpace.png\" alt=\"woman working at desk next to stat saying that 13.1% of UK office workers who responded to the poll haven't returned to the office\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/noreturntotheofficestat-LondonOfficesSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/noreturntotheofficestat-LondonOfficesSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>But what of those who haven&#8217;t returned at all?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the time of conducting our poll, in May 2022, 13.1% of UK office workers indicated that they still hadn&#8217;t returned to the office. Labour statistics from this period back up our finding, with a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/owllabs.eu\/state-of-hybrid-work-uk\/2022\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">study from Owl Labs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> indicating that 18% of people in the UK are full-time remote workers. That these figures aren&#8217;t more closely aligned is surely due to the fact that not all of those 18% would identify as \u2018office workers&#8217;, as well as the potential of some of our respondents currently being between jobs. Our poll result, of 13.1% currently fully-remote office workers, is also somewhat reflective of our<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/55-of-uk-office-workers-favour-hybrid-working-will-the-office-ever-be-the-same\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">previous study on hybrid working<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where we found that 19.8% of UK&#8217;s office workers saw full-time remote as their ideal work arrangement \u2013 a finding supported by JobDescription-Library.com&#8217;s figure that<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/jobdescription-library.com\/remote-working-statistics-uk#:~:text=30%25%20of%20the%20UK%20workforce,to%20work%20full%2Dtime%20remotely.\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 in 5 Brits want to work full-time remotely<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That our two findings aren&#8217;t more closely correlated is probably due to the fact that, as Mick Jagger so eloquently put it \u2013 you can&#8217;t always get what you want. However, the fact that our study indicates at least 13% of former in-office workers are opting to continue working remotely is a good sign that the demand for flexibility is gradually being accommodated by employers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3810 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/exploringUKbusinessreturns-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"cartoon woman examining the UK with a magnifying glass\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/exploringUKbusinessreturns-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/exploringUKbusinessreturns-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>How have prominent businesses dealt with their return to the office?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As our poll was conducted from a random sampling of the UK&#8217;s office workers, we believe that, for the sake of thoroughness and more insight, it is valuable to also highlight return to office plans implemented by prominent businesses. How these companies handled their employees coming back to work after lockdown should help to further shed light on the currently established best practices in these still largely uncharted waters.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We&#8217;ve limited our selection to the obvious global tech giants, as well as a number of major businesses in the British market. This was done to ultimately get an idea of the ways in which UK businesses approached their emergence out of lockdown differently to others. Investigating these leaders of local and international business operations should hopefully provide actionable insights into how disruptions can be managed, as well as the optimal ways for operations to resume in the post-pandemic business environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We&#8217;ll take a look at the international big hitters, first:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3812 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/googlelogo-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"google logo\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/googlelogo-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/googlelogo-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>Google\/Alphabet<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thinkwithgoogle.com\/future-of-marketing\/management-and-culture\/lorraine-twohill-marketing-foundation-pandemic\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">discussing lessons she learnt from COVID-19 lockdowns<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Google&#8217;s CMO, Lorraine Twohill, stated that &#8220;things were different&#8221; compared to their usual culture of rallying together and sprinting to get things out the door quickly, &#8220;everyone was at home, making it harder to get things done&#8221;. She also went on to say that Google developed higher priorities for promoting worker wellbeing and encouraging self-care during lockdown periods, stating: &#8220;Leaders and managers can make it easier for others to prioritise self-care, and they have to model it themselves.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, Google Asia Pacific&#8217;s VP of Marketing and Global NBU Payments Marketing, Simon Kahn,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thinkwithgoogle.com\/future-of-marketing\/digital-transformation\/google-navigating-pandemic\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has stated that<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> COVID-19 forced them to be agile, and that they &#8220;had to figure out how to not just work together, but work well&#8221;. Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat said Google is<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2020\/11\/18\/how-google-improved-employee-productivity-during-covid-19-pandemic.html\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">seeing employee productivity rise to pre-Covid levels again<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which surely is evidence of their post-COVID adaptations working.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, what measures did they employ to transition out of lockdown?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It seems like a greater acceptance of hybrid working is the most obvious tactic they&#8217;ve employed in getting back to work. After delaying plans to reopen their offices from the previously slated opening date of January 10<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerworld.com\/article\/3652538\/tech-giants-move-to-reopen-offices-but-differ-on-hybrid-work-plans.html#:~:text=Google%20to%20reopen%20April%204,seen%20by%20Reuters%20last%20week.\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to April 4<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, due to the emergence of COVID-19&#8217;s Omicron variant, the long time of lockdown seemed to soften Google&#8217;s previously hard stance on remote work. Having to continuously change their reopening plans also likely helped to increase their acceptance of hybrid, resulting in a formal hybrid work arrangement coming into effect for all employees on April 4, 2022. This arrangement requires that most employees will be<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.inc.com\/jason-aten\/googles-employees-return-to-office-today-this-former-exec-says-hybrid-work-wont-last.html\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">expected to be in the office three days per week<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with remote work being an option for the rest of the time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The adaptability Google demonstrated around reopening their physical offices, and quick acceptance of the new hybrid working status quo, even if grudgingly, speaks to the need for companies to accept more flexibility into their operations. This is particularly true if they are looking to weather potential future lockdowns.  <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3811 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/facebooklogo-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"facebook logo\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/facebooklogo-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/facebooklogo-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>Facebook<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In January 2022, an official statement from Meta, parent company of Facebook, divulged that employees&#8217; return to offices would be<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2022\/01\/10\/facebook-meta-delays-office-return-to-march-covid-boosters-required.html\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">delayed from January until March 28<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, citing the lingering effects of COVID-19.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a similar vein to Google, Facebook has seen a drastic uptake in hybrid and remote work across all corporate locations. The steady adaptation and implementation of flexible working arrangements is clear when examining the timeline of Facebook operations, both during and after lockdowns.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since March 2020, 50,000 Facebook employees worked remotely as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns and local health measures. As a result of the pandemic, a Meta spokesperson said that<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/explore\/careers\/facebook-says-it-will-expand-remote-work-to-all-employees\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Facebook now allows any employee to work from home or remotely<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, provided that their job can be done outside of an office environment.   Even Mark Zuckerberg himself<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2020\/may\/21\/facebook-coronavirus-remote-working-policy-extended-years\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stated that<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> he could see half of Facebook&#8217;s employees permanently working remotely within the next 5-10 years. After previously stating that only senior roles within his company could apply for fully-remote work after the pandemic, Zuckerberg<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/technology-57425636\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">shifted with the times<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to announce that all employees across the company could request to work remotely full-time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike Google, Facebook seems to have dropped the ball when it comes to additional wellness offerings for employees on the road out of the pandemic. While gearing up for implementation of their new hybrid working model, which came into effect on March 28, changes to the perk offerings were announced online for all Meta employees to view. Free services like laundry and dry cleaning were now off the table, and complimentary dinners were<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2022\/03\/14\/facebook-meta-perks-free-dinner-employee-criticized\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">moved from 6pm to 6:30pm<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Whilst something as luxurious as free laundry services could probably be seen as excessive in the first place, rolling back perks at such a pivotal time is probably not the most conducive move to ensure a smooth transition back to the workplace.  <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3804 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/applelogo-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"apple logo\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/applelogo-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/applelogo-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>Apple<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like Facebook and Google, Apple has shifted its return to the office plans a number of times over the course of the last two years. After<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2021\/6\/2\/22465846\/apple-employees-return-office-three-days-week-september\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">initially announcing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a return to the office three-days-per-week in mid-2021, Apple has now told employees that they are slowing their hybrid approach to two-days-per-week with the option to work fully remote for those with health concerns. Masks still remain in place for retail employees across a number of locations, as well as in-office Apple employees outside of personal workspaces.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/5\/17\/23100696\/apple-delay-hybrid-office-return-work-from-home-covid-19-masks\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As reported by The Verge<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the current phase-in period for the two-day-per-week pilot has been extended in response to Apple&#8217;s monitoring of test positivity, new variants and hospitalisation rates. Changes to the Apple return to office plans are often communicated via memo directly from CEO Tim Cook, as well as additional communications from the company&#8217;s COVID-19 response team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whilst undoubtedly carefully crafted to maximise employee retention whilst minimising potential productivity loss, this return to office strategy hasn&#8217;t been accepted by all workers. An open letter entitled &#8216;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/appletogether.org\/hotnews\/thoughts-on-office-bound-work\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thoughts on Office-bound Work<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8216; was written by the Apple Together group to protest the company&#8217;s hybrid plans, citing the benefits of continuing to conduct their jobs remotely.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What about major UK businesses?<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3818 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/virginmedialogo-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"virgin media logo\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/virginmedialogo-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/virginmedialogo-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>Virgin Media<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the midst of UK lockdowns, it seems Virgin were on the front foot, tackling some probable areas of difficulty with their workers before they had the chance to manifest. Emphasising this proactive stance was their rollout of wellness-focused transition measures for workers returning after maternity and paternity leave.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After experiencing her own difficulties returning to work from maternity leave during the pandemic, Virgin Media&#8217;s Head of Sustainability, Katie Buchanan, decided to<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.virgin.com\/about-virgin\/virgin-careers\/latest-careers\/welcome-back-how-virgin-media-is-making-returning-to-work-easier-for-parents\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">take the initiative to head-off these difficulties<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> being experienced by others. She decided to talk to colleagues who&#8217;d also returned to work after absences in order to identify shared frustrations, which included difficulties related to ever-changing IT processes and a general involving to find information on their return. After being away from work for such a long time, whether that be for familial or health-related reasons, a lot of workers were finding themselves returning to a workplace that was dramatically changed from the one they had initially left. New processes had been introduced, and old ones tweaked, resulting in the creation of difficult hurdles to overcome.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The identification of these shared frustrations led to Katie and her team developing support for returning workers, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An interactive tool to facilitate more fruitful communications between returning workers and their line managers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An informative timeline, provided to employees, of events and steps that they&#8217;re likely to face when going on leave and returning.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An optional opt-in podcast for workers on leave to tune in to, to keep them in the loop regarding Virgin Media updates.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adding to these measures, and including the new industry standards of flexible work offerings,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.virginmediabusiness.co.uk\/small-business\/insights\/Re-Imagining-the-Workplace-in-a-Post-Covid-World\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a spokesperson of Virgin Media stated that<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the &#8220;9-5 office work day is on its way out, flexible work days are here to stay.&#8221; Virgin Media clearly has a forward-thinking focus when it comes to doing what they can to ensure smooth transitions for workers coming back to work, along with promoting a culture of overall employee wellbeing, to limit the shock of returning to the office after the lengthy pandemic.  <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3813 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/lloydsbanklogo-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"lloyds bank logo\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/lloydsbanklogo-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/lloydsbanklogo-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>Lloyds Bank<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even back in February 2021, Lloyds Banking Group was planning to<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/business\/2021\/feb\/24\/lloyds-profits-plunge-covid-defaults-dividend-payments\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reduce its office space by 20% through 2023<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, as they&#8217;d already identified working from home as becoming more of a permanent feature of the business landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A branch of their extensive Future Culture wing, their wellbeing policies clearly adapted with COVID-19 in mind, with<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lloyds.com\/about-lloyds\/future-culture-at-lloyds\/wellbeing\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">their website stating<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: &#8220;Whilst working from home because of COVID-19, taking care of our minds as well as our bodies is more important than ever.&#8221; And that they&#8217;ve: &#8220;pulled together a wide range of resources to keep on top of your mental wellbeing and cope with how you may be feeling while staying at home.&#8221; Clearly, after their crashing profits in Q1 2020, drastic adaptation became more than the flavour of the week for Lloyds. Quickly shifting with the times has evidently worked, resulting in a successful transition out of lockdown and smooth adoption of post-pandemic working processes.  <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3807 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/whatapproachestellus-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"cartoon woman sitting at a desk working through papers with a calculator\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/whatapproachestellus-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/whatapproachestellus-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>What these approaches tell us<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stepping back and examining how these companies managed lockdown periods, as well as their plan for returning to \u2018business as usual&#8217;, we can see that there are some common threads in how they managed the situation.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In managing COVID-19 lockdowns, it was common for the observed companies to prioritise their workers&#8217; wellbeing, with some developing additional policies around remote worker welfare designed to meet the unique challenges presented by the pandemic. These businesses also implemented fairly comprehensive roadmaps out of lockdown, familiarising employees with new working conditions and helping to ensure a smooth tradition back to the office, whether that be in a full-time or part-time capacity.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Particularly for British companies, we can see that there was a tendency for rapid action in response to changing economic priorities, with new measures being implemented to meet new norms and market expectations. There was also a notable focus on replicating in-person interactions in a virtual setting, something which many employees noted as a key step towards maintaining strong company culture for those opting to remain remote. British companies were also quick to adopt the concept of flexible workspace, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/serviced-offices.html\">serviced office spaces<\/a> providing month-to-month lease terms to facilitate the changing circumstances of the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3805 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/returntotheofficewrapup-LondonOfficeSpace.png\" alt=\"three cartoon characters doing a presentation\" width=\"435\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/returntotheofficewrapup-LondonOfficeSpace.png 435w, https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/returntotheofficewrapup-LondonOfficeSpace-300x231.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/>Wrap up<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pandemic has undoubtedly caused major upheaval to the modern working landscape, resulting in rapid changes to the workplace that might&#8217;ve seemed completely outlandish just a short time ago. With the worst of the pandemic behind them, office workers have found themselves returning to working environments guided by the way in which their employers have responded to new norms and altered expectations. Since this was all such uncharted territory, companies &#8211; along with their workers &#8211; have struggled to find an equilibrium.  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite these struggles, our poll of UK office workers shows that a clear majority of businesses were able to provide their employees with carefully conceived and well presented roadmaps out of lockdown that gave clear direction. This is a good sign for the future, as the total unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic will likely result in the majority of businesses formulating contingency plans for future events.  <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Looking for more articles?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more deep dives into workplace statistics and general office insights, you can visit:<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/most-desired-employee-perks-for-uk-office-workers\/\">Most Desired Employee Perks for UK Office Workers (2022 Poll)<\/a><br \/>\n<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/55-of-uk-office-workers-favour-hybrid-working-will-the-office-ever-be-the-same\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">55% of UK Office Workers Favour Hybrid Working, Will the Office Ever Be the Same?<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/london-office-market-sees-highest-level-of-occupier-activity-since-before-the-pandemic\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">London Office Market Sees Highest Level of Occupier Activity Since Before the Pandemic<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/how-to-deal-with-the-stress-of-returning-to-the-office-after-a-long-layoff\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to Deal with the Stress of Returning to the Office after a Long Layoff<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/10-ways-to-improve-office-morale\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10 Ways to Improve Office Morale<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/an-overview-of-coworking-space-in-london\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An Overview of Coworking Spaces in London<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/how-to-value-a-commercial-property-and-determine-rent-in-london\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to Value a Commercial Property and Determine Rent in London<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We conducted a poll in May 2022 asking 450 UK office workers to express how they felt their employers had managed their return to the workplace after COVID-19 lockdowns. Limiting our pool of respondents to just UK office workers provided us with the best indication of how businesses across the country managed the extreme transition [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[369,176,471,4],"tags":[465,15,424,26,35,468,13,33],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3803"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3803"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3829,"href":"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3803\/revisions\/3829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londonofficespace.com\/buzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}