Workers are getting more eager to return to the office, new poll finds

Workers are getting more eager to return to the office after the pandemic with just a quarter saying they want to remain mostly or completely working from home, a new poll has suggested. 

An Opinium survey conducted for the Prospect trade union showed that 24 per cent of people wanted to stay working at home when life goes back to normal. 

But some 37 per cent said they wanted to work mostly or completely from the office. 

Meanwhile, 17 per cent of workers said they wanted to split their time in half between the office and their home.

A new Opinium poll for the Prospect trade union showed a quarter of workers want to remain working mostly or completely at home after the pandemic 

The polling suggests that young people are more likely than their older counterparts to want to spend at least some of their work time back in the office 

A similar YouGov poll published in November last year suggested that half of workers, 50 per cent, wanted to work from home every day or most days. 

Meanwhile, the new poll findings, published by The Times, showed that young people are more likely to want to return to the office than some of the older counterparts. 

Some 64 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds said they wanted to spent at least some of their time back in the office. 

But the number was 48 per cent for the 35 to 54 age group and 49 per cent for over-55s.    

The polling, conducted between April 1 and April 7, comes as the Government prepares to launch a consultation later this year on extending flexible working rights. 

It could mean more people being able to retain high levels of working remotely or even completely avoid a full return to the office. 

The consultation will inevitably prompt concerns about the future of struggling city centres. 

The Opinium poll also suggested that two thirds, 66 per cent, of home workers support a ‘Right to Disconnect’ policy.

The Government is set to consult on extending flexible working rights amid fears for the future of struggling city centres. Oxford Street in central London is pictured in March this year

This would require companies and staff to agree rules on when people cannot be contacted for work purposes.  

Andrew Pakes, Prospect research director, said: ‘Remote working is here to stay, but it can be much better than it has been in recent months.

‘Including a Right to Disconnect in the Employment Bill would be a big step in redrawing the blurred boundary between home and work and would show that the government is serious about tackling the dark side of remote working.’